Flickering Green Fire
by Val-Creative
Summary: Seventh year. Shocks. Surprises. Sudden romance. And more stirring up trouble. Possibly for a sequel. Not likely. Not completed. MAJOR EDITING. 7 outta 19 done.
1. Simple Pleasures

**_xXxEDITING PROCESS: 7/11/09xXx_**

**Disclaimer**: Everything HP related belongs to JK Rowling.

**A/N**: Hello everyone. I'm trying a bit of a serious HP story. Made before HBP or DH so no Albus's or anything. Hope you enjoy! R and R!

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Chapter 1: Simple Pleasures

Red and gold sunshine rose over Number 4 Privet Drive; the prim neighbors rose from their comfy beds to start their early mornings. The members of the Dursley's family were already downstairs eating breakfast and watching the news. Everyone except one occupant.

A skinny boy of seventeen sat on the ledge of his rather small window, watching the swirling colors of the sky. He was of the messy haired sort, not at all very comely with his thin round glasses that slid down the bridge of his nose every few seconds. His clothes, baggy and gray, barely stayed over his frame. The one thing about him he rather liked was the color of his eyes. An extraordinary shade of bright green. Deep in them, a silent and secretive gleaming as if he knew something no one else understood.

The boy sitting on the ledge was called many names but he referred to himself as Harry Potter.

And a talented wizard.

He had just returned from his school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was now moving from his sixth year straight onto his final year. The last year had been difficult though maybe not as fifth as Harry had decidedly brooded over the summer before about his godfather Sirius Black's untimely death. This summer had been about his glum future.

So he spent the hours daydreaming, sighing to himself, trying to mentally dodge his troubled thoughts. Harry leaned his head against the structure of the window, contently gazing out into the slowly blue-ing sky. He liked watching the sunrise-- the bright warm colors dulling into white or gray, it reminded him of how the simplest things-- the simplest happenings of the world could bring pleasure into life. His strangely thoughtful peace was rudely interrupted by a loud banging on his door and the high pitched shriek of his aunt telling him to get downstairs.

Rolling his eyes, Harry obeyed, much too relaxed to be upset. He made his way to the table downstairs where his Uncle Vernon barked through his bushy mustache, "Comb your hair boy!" That never got old of course.

His blonde and bony Aunt Petunia placed down a plate of shriveled burnt toast in front of Harry curtly and went back to the oven to get his cousin another batch of pancakes although he had three helpings by now. Pink-faced Dudley grinned in his direction, his three or four chins widening, "I learned a new punch this week and I need to test it out on someone. Care to volunteer?"

In response, Harry quietly reached into his back pocket, getting a firm grip on his wand.

_How about you try it and I'll shove my foot up your-_

Swiftly, Aunt Petunia appeared out of nowhere and laid down the third plate of golden brown pancakes in front of her son. "Now, now, no horseplay at the breakfast table Diddykins. You wouldn't want to get an upset tummy."

Vernon Dursley said gruffly, "Petunia, there's no need to treat him like a ruddy child," he glared at Harry darkly, "You agree boy?"

Harry opened his mouth but she butt in with a coo and pinch of Dudley's flabby cheek, "_Noooo_. . .he will always be my little Diddy Duds Poopoo Baby. My sweet little Diddykins Honeybunny Dudley-bear." She grinned, exposing her horsy teeth and kissed him, turning her back on everyone in the kitchen.

Dudley made a particularly nasty face at his departing mother and began shoveling food down his hefty-sized throat, giving Harry a glare that stated: _Go ahead, I dare you to say something_.

Harry ate quickly and retreated to where he could laugh freely and long.

Since it was a typically hot July day, Harry was forced to work outside for his daily chores, having had to finish every single one before having permission to drink water. He fertilized the back and front gardens, washed and waxed both Dursley's cars to perfection, and hung out the laundry. Harry had finished soaking the windows scrupulously with soapy water and rubbing the glass dry when in broad daylight, a familiar snowy white owl swooped into his open bedroom window.

Making sure that none of the neighbors had seen the odd sight, Harry snuck inside. To help disguise his footsteps, Dudley's snores coming from upstairs filled up the whole air-conditioned house, and the sounds of the blaring television from the family room indicated that the rest of the family was waiting for the afternoon news. He locked the bedroom door behind him, the loud snoring muffled slightly.

His beloved owl Hedwig softly hooted once by her cage, proudly presenting him with letters. Since he had not seen an Hogwarts owl with her, he assumed that his letter was still coming. He suspected that his friends had gotten theirs by now, being where they were, they had a certain advantage at Headquarters. Not that Harry minded it. . . .much.

He opened the first letter, scrawled sloppily as if in a hurry.

_Harry,_

_Happy Birthday mate! I hope you liked the gift I sent you. Sorry it took so long to reach you. Errol is getting loads older and has a harder time getting around on time. Pig was too little to carry it. _

_Nothing happening here. All quiet. _

_I hope those Muggles are treating you right this time. Or you might have to have a nice row with them; I suggest the Fully Body Bind, or perhaps a Cheering Charm? Any spell would work since they hate magic. Speaking of your family, how's that cousin over yours since Fred and George tested the Ton Tongue Toffee on them? They told me about some side effects...something about their tongues becoming hairy...I dunno._

_Have a good summer,_

_Ron._

As Harry read the last sentence, he felt a smile begin to creep up on him. He remembered all too well when the Weasley's came to pick him up for the Quiddich World Cup. The twins Fred and George had purposely dropped brightly wrapped toffees on the floor upon leaving. Dudley, who couldn't resist a tasty piece of candy to ruin his previous diet, ate several and to everyone's horror--and the twin's glee-- his tongue grew at an alarming rate and thus panicked the Dursleys.

Harry also smiled at his best friend's comment about Headquarters. How it was a complete lie.

Ever since word got out that Voldemort was indeed alive and well, the Wizarding World had to have been in a frenzy; or so Harry thought. This meant more work for the Order. Harry's deceased parents had been a part of the original Order of the Phoenix, along with Harry's godfather. The group of Aurors fighting against Lord Voldemort and his Followers consisted not only of those three but Mad-Eye Moody; the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore; Frank and Alice Longbottom, who were currently registered in St. Mungos for being cursed straight into insanity; Nympthadora Tonks; Remus Lupin, an old friend of Harry's parents; just to name a few. Along with Wormtail, who had betrayed James and Lily Potter to their very deaths. And that was something Harry's core would not let go. . .no matter what.

His uncle's voice boomed from downstairs, blotting out the stifled snores, "Those _bloody _Cubans! Ruin our holiday, will ya?"

Letting out a clearly annoyed breath, Harry opened the next (neatly written) letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_Hello and happy birthday, I do trust you enjoyed the book I gave you. I know it was a bit early. I simply cannot wait to go back to Hogwarts! There are so many new things to learn our seventh year! We'll learn to Apparate and Disapparate, though not at Hogwarts, as it says in Hogwarts, A History by_

Bright green immediately skimmed to the next few lines down.

_so make sure you remember. Everything has been quiet. We might be able to see Fred and George's new shop. I really do hope you'll be able to come with us to Diagon Alley._

_We haven't got our letters yet. Just to tell you._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Disappointed, he set the letter down. Hermione's letter sounded just like Ron's. . .filled with empty messages. What didn't they want him to know? Was it so Top Secret that they couldn't even tell their best friend who just so happens to be the target of the mad man?

The last letter read:

_Harry,_

_Happy seventeenth birthday. If you were wondering, it's been agreed upon that you should stay where you are for the rest of the summer. You'll be much safer there. I know you dislike your situation but it's for the best, Harry._

_Lupin_

Out of utter frustration, Harry threw his letters into the nearby trash can. "Great, thanks a lot everyone."

He had been so eager for an escape out of this hellhole-- but that letter shattered every hope he was holding onto. Harry glanced at Hedwig who fluttered her amber eyes at him innocently. Stroking her feathers, he gave her an owl treat before going back downstairs to angrily finish his chores.

-

That late afternoon, Harry found himself in his room studying an old Herbology book when something rattled his doorknob and threw open the door with an almighty **_CRASH_**.

Charging in like an wild rhino, his uncle towered over him, glaring furiously with his beady black eyes. Almost nonchalantly, Harry closed his book.

_'What did I do now?'_

The left side of Uncle Vernon's face twitched as his eyes read the title of hardback in Harry's lap '_Flesh-Eating Trees of the World'_ and he extended his pudgy finger threateningly, "Listen boy, tonight is a special night."

Harry patiently waited for him to continue, already knowing what he wasn't going to say.

"Your aunt is holding a dinner party and inviting the whole street. If it were up to me, I would lock you up until morning but your aunt doesn't want to risk any gossip about how we raise family, so," Uncle Vernon grinned nastily through crooked teeth, "You'll be on your best behavior tonight in front of the guests. You'll say that you've been going to _St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys_ and that you'll be sentenced away for good soon enough. No funny stuff, got it?"

"Why should I?"

The words came out of Harry's mouth when they were suppose to be an afterthought. His uncle stepped closer, his face turning a rare shade of cinnabar, "What did you say?"

Harry swung his legs over the mattress, sitting up and frowning, "You heard me, why should I listen to you when all you've ever done was treat me like dung and made sure that I'd never think of myself deserving better then being treated like that?"

His logic was now being beaten away by his proud arrogant Gryffindor instincts. He knew he would be paying for his disrespect as Mr. Dursley yelled, spraying spit everwhere, "Because I'll flay you within an inch of your _life_!" He looked like he wanted nothing more than to put those words into action but Harry heard him mutter to himself, "Petunia. . .she said. . . ."

Uncle Vernon roughly shoved some clothes into his nephew's hands and growled, "Put these on and get downstairs, and _fix your hair_!" At last he stomped out, slamming the door behind him so hard that the room shock forcefully. Harry changed with a great amount of reluctance into what he was given. Surprisingly, the clothes were a normal fitting white shirt, black dress pants, a black tux jacket, and a very strangling red and purple spotted tie. He vaguely wondered where these had came from.

Loosening the tie best he could, Harry went into the upstairs bathroom to do something with his hair. Wetting his untidy hair seemed to do the trick. He absently took in his reflection and eyed his lightning bolt scar. It hadn't stung or ached in a month. Maybe the Dark Lord couldn't find his location yet.

Voldemort was responsible for his parent's murder and had tried to kill him when he was a baby but failed, leaving him with a damned radar on his head that showed what Voldemort was doing and how he felt. Bothersome if anything.

Pressing his forehead to the glass, Harry murmured to his mirror image, "Thinking about it won't make it go away."

Voices rose from the living room, he took it as his cue to peel his skin from the mirror and join them. Already down in the Dursley's foyer were neighbors chatting away merrily. . .never realizing what dangers there were behind the glam and smoke of their Muggle world adjusted by both their Ministry and the Ministry of Magic. Harry moved into the dining room, invisible to everyone and froze up when he heard, _"Evans."_

Harry hid behind the door frame as the new clients at Mr. Dursley's company settled into with him. Mr. Moor spoke heartily through an extremely red beard, "Too bad they couldn't show up tonight."

Vernon Dursley had on a superior smirk that just itched to be cursed off, "Yes, I could have shown them the award my boy got for beating up their son. Not everyone can be a _winner_ like Dudley, or else there would be no such thing as _losers_." That remark caused the room to fill up with their uproarious laughter to which made Harry clench up his fists, fighting the red heat flooding his system.

_Remember. . . .Ministry. . . . .expulsion. . ._

He had a feeling that blowing up unsuspecting Muggles would upset the poor Ministry of Magic. So instead Harry grabbed some appetizers from a nearby tray and plopped into an empty seat in another room. Only a few strangers sat in the same area, many curiously watching the evening news.

After two hours, he was about to crack from boredom. In the bathroom upstairs he threw off his tight jacket and tie, rolled up his shirt sleeves over the elbows, and splashed his face with cold water. If he could just get through the rest of the night...

Two girls sat on the stairs, looking over at him pointedly as he tried to step past them. Harry stumbled and mumbled an apology, as the one with the blonde hair and freckles raked her eyes up and down his person with obvious approval, as the darker haired and pimply girl giggled childishly. He passed them hurriedly, turning red from humiliation and the obvious attention.

Conversation had struck up in the spare room he had left. His eyes caught a bold headline on the television: **Neighborhood Catastrophe!**

The cocoa skinned newscaster cleared her throat, "_In other news, yesterday evening, a disturbance was reported in the town of Greenmaple. Intelligence has further to say that the whereabouts of suspicious characters might have been connected to the recent incident of a young missing girl. The people of this town are asked to be cautious of any shady personnel and that if you spot any questionable activity, to contact authorities immediately. Back to you Rob-"_

His mind raced. . .Greenmaple wasn't close by but he knew where it was. . .he was about to probe deeper into his memory when suddenly, someone grabbed him by the shoulder to whirl him violently around.

Pier Polkiss, Malcolm, Gorden, and Dudley all stood in his way.

Before he knew it Malcolm and Gordon had each lunged at Harry's arms and held him rigidly at their sides as Piers smiled gleefully, "Just the person we were looking for. Dudley here was just telling us how you volunteered to be his punching buddy." Before anyone could say anything or Harry could even struggle, a cluster of teenage girls drew around them. The freckled girl from earlier led them and broke away from the clique to join the boys. She was quite pretty, getting past the mounds of freckles, but in a shallow way that strongly reminded Harry of the Cho Chang he didn't like so much.

Dudley and his gang straightened up as she snapped her manicured nails at them, letting Harry go as she stopped right in front of him. Jutting her thin hip to the side, the girl asked loudly, making sure her reedy voice reached the hearing range of everyone in the room, "_Hey_, aren't you that boy that goes to Saint Bronx's or something?"

Harry looked around to make sure that she was speaking to anyone else and nodded unconvincingly, "_Surrre_."

Before she leaned over, the blonde girl made eye contact with Dudley and pushed her lips outward in a way she thought was seductive, (Harry thought she was making a bad fish impression), "Hmmm, I do like the _bad_ boys." Her cold long fingernails brushed his cheek uncomfortably before making a path down his shirt, finding the time to occasionally twist the white material. He was about to push the persistent hand away but her other hand distracted him, as it found its way in an inappropriate region.

His breath hitched in his chest for a full three seconds and he barely heard her remark, "Think about it sweetheart." She glanced back at Dudley contemptuously and swaggered her hips as she strolled back to the rest of the females.

Dudley seized Harry's collar, shaking most of the haze from Harry's senses, and snarled, "Stay away from my Anna, Potter."

He was half tempted to voice his aversion for this handsy girl but this was clearly hurting Dudley. . .he couldn't resist. Harry grinned good-naturedly, "Why, Big D, you jealous?"

Something snapped in Dudley Dursley that forgot his bribe from his Mother and Father to stay out of fights. Harry dunked the mad dive of his cousin, sending the adults in the room running. Dudley began emitting cries of a crazed animal as Harry made a break for it. Dudley's gang tried desperately to calm his friend down as Harry disappeared hidden behind the doorway.

It was then, leaning up against the wall and panting, that Harry remembered his advantage.

"He's a wimp Dudley, don't waste your time--"

Just as Piers ended his sentence, Harry appeared once more in the entrance, his wand in his right hand. He murmured numbly, raising it at chest level to his cousin, "Try me now."

Horrified, Dudley's girlfriend jumped between them to practically leap her boyfriend, "No! Don't hurt him!" Harry just smiled wickedly.

"Oh no...I wouldn't dream of it."

Dudley shoved her away, she was caught by Gordon, "Get away from me!" Anna looked up pleadingly, tears sparkling in the corners of her muddy brown eyes, "I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it! I just wanted to make you jealous! I love you!"

Harry could feel one of his eyebrows seizing up, "Take your friends and leave me alone."

"He can't do anything to us," Piers Polkiss sneered, "It's just a stick." Everyone else laughed along with him, everyone except for Anna who was sobbing into her hands and Dudley who stared stonily ahead at Harry.

The dinner bell rang.

As if an invisible force were controlling them, the teenagers all looked at the ceiling in muted sync and scattered.

Harry blinked twice to make sure he was seeing things correct.

It was like. . . .they forgotten the fight instantly after the bell rang. And he sure that Aunt Petunia's bell wasn't of the enchanted type. As he slipped his wand out of sight, a flash of blue caught the corner of his eye. . .just outside the windowsill from his left. . .but Harry just shook his head and ignored it.

He ended up sitting at the far end of one of the larger tables in the dining room, the seat to his right happened to be empty. Aunt Petunia, in her silk chartreuse dress, paced around to whisper worryingly, "We're missing one..."

As the hostess went to answer the doorbell, Harry wondered. . . _'Who could be coming this late?'_

He was soon to find out.

_'Oh no, no, NO, not HER!'_

Aunt Marge sat down heavily at the empty right chair, draped in a bright red dress that made her look like a giant tomato. She set fierce beady eyes on her most hated nephew, "I thought they sent _you_ away."

_'I wish they had.'_

Dinner proceeded. Harry was given a fair amount of eat for a change and as dessert was being brought out, one of Uncle Vernon's drunken workers tipped his glass clumsily upwards, "T-To the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Dursley...for this smashing party!" Everyone drank to them, (Harry left his goblet of water untouched), and Aunt Marge (who had drinked far more alcohol than what was natural for the human body to hold) chatted stupidly away.

Turning her watery blurry eyes from the occupant on her right to her left, she slurred, "You thuunk you smart, 'cause they take of you. If I is--caring for you, I'd have beaten you throughly."

He felt the red heat rise.

"I'd love for you to try and have a go at it." Harry said boldly in her direction.

The room went dead silent. Aunt Marge took a moment to swallow her remaining brandy, "If you continue talking like that...you be regretting you ever came here..." Everyone at the table glanced at Harry as he spoke up clearly, "As a matter of fact, I _do _regret that I was dumped on the doorstep. Every damn day. And I'll say what I please, _Aunty_."

The fat woman sent her chair crashing onto the floor as she got to her feet, snatching him by the collar-- he could smell the onions and brandy on her hot breath, "You, _vile_, stinking--!"

**_THUMP!_**

Expensive red wine spilled onto even more pricy white lace cloth. Stunned heads turned up the table.

Aunt Petunia held a staring contest with the large woman, she declared coldly, "Get your hands off him _now_ Marge." She had slammed her hands on the table to create the ruckus. Her light hazel eyes flickered heatedly, very much like a certain nephew of hers.

Harry felt Aunt Marge's rock hard grip on him tense in her disbelief.

"Are you defending this no-good _thing?_!"

Petunia Dursley moved to the side of the long table, her bony fingers gently touching the tablecloth, her voice strangely calm, "Let him go--before I come over there and make you do it myself."

Marge's grip loosened and he retched away from her sausage-like fingers, staring at his aunt who became strickenly pale. Aunt Petunia took in a shaky breath and excused herself.

All heads turned back to Harry. Even the food fight that had been started by Dudley's gang had even came to an screeching halt. He hurried out of the prying eyes, abandoning his full dessert plate. As Harry made it upstairs, he caught a glimpse of his nervous aunt who paced restlessly back and forth in her yellow stilettos. Her voice only a mumble to herself.

Harry locked his room that night, promptly changing into Dudley's old grayed clothes, and went to bed early only to find himself awake at random times in the early hours. . .much too alert to fall back asleep.

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	2. Oddness all Around

**_xXxEDITING PROCESS (7/11/09)xXx_**

**Chapter 2: Oddness all Around**

The heat was truly terrible Sunday morning.

During his chores, Harry finished hosing down the Dursley's van and let the spray of water purposely drench him. Dripping wet and completely satisfied with it, he dropped the dirtied sponge into the brown foamy bucket and glanced down the driveway.

The water hit the black concrete, making it bubble with smoke and Harry

_watched a figure emerge from the rays of the sun and hazy shroud of vapor. He couldn't make it out clearly. An invasion of arms threw themselves around his body, slender and feminine...somehow he was thankful they were feminine...as a pair of curved lips touched his own chapped pair. Electricity flooded throughout his bloodstream, charged with hope and reckless abandonment. The passion this held was roaring, frenzying his nerves, his ears were ringing. Harry closed his eyes and could smell the scent of -  
_

A loud **BANG** jolted Harry out of his trance. He opened his glazed eyes to see that. . .there was no girl embracing and kissing him. Harry touched his lips with the pads of his fingertips, very sure they were unbruised. He came to the conclusion very quickly that it must have been an hallucination of the heat. . .he had been outside without water for quite some time. . .

Dudely, who had caused the bang by slamming open the back door, ambled out of the house, cracking his knuckles.

"How about letting me practice my new punch now, Potter?"

Harry, no longer feeling dazed or distracted, murmured, "Don't you ever give up?" His cousin's fat face beamed maliciously as he took a step forward in Harry's direction. Suddenly, a prickle of apprehension rose in Harry's stomach--but it had not been Dudley's doing. Something deep inside him thought he should look inside the Dursley's house.

Dudley frowned. "Where the hell are you going?" Harry shushed him as he peered through the open back windows. His cousin followed suit, very confused, until they were both craning to stare into the family room where Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were sitting together, talking in a hushed manner.

"I don't understand it," his uncle stated.

Aunt Petunia said fretfully, wringing her hands, "The boy was not lying. I saw some strange characters the other day passing our neighborhood. _Obviously from THAT sort of crowd_."

Uncle Vernon scratched his mustache. "Did it remind you of..._HER?"_ Harry stiffened and set his mouth in a grim line, as did his aunt.

"That it did Vernon."

He began turning dark red around his neck, his jugular vein popping, "Then we'll throw him out into the streets!"

"We can't," Aunt Petunia insisted, waving her hands at him in a sad attempt to make him lower his roar of a voice, "The neighbors would be suspicious...imagine the gossip..."

His uncle began then scratching the bald spot on the middle of his head, reminding Harry very much of an ape at the zoo he had been taken to before his time at Hogwarts. "Now... what was that _thingy_ the boy mentioned before...a...Moldymosts, was it?"

She frowned severely, speaking with an unnatural sort of ease for someone who had no tolerance for other magical words like 'broom' or 'Hogwarts', "_Voldemort_."

"Yes, but _what_ is it?"

Aunt Petunia made an exhausted noise through her horsy teeth. "It's a _Dark Wizard_. It's after him Vernon."

"Good!" Uncle Vernon now started looking cheerful. "Let it have him! Why should we care?"

Harry was thinking the same question. Why should the Dursleys, who haven't treated him even remotely nice in any way, bother with concern?

Aunt Petunia wiped her bony forehead with her bony hand. "After we got the boy, I was told to keep him here until he was ready to go off on his own. To keep him safe and out of harms way until then."

"By _who_?" Uncle Vernon asked.

Her worried expression tightened into one of blankness. "It's nothing for you to trifle over, dearest." Uncle Vernon followed her at her heels, still questioning as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen. Harry turned away from the window.

She _DID _know something! He had a very clear memory of how he mentioned Voldemort before. . .her face draining of color. . .petrified. . .

His reverie was broken as Dudley grabbed him by the collar, and shook him furiously. "Look what you've done to my parents, Potter. I'll get you back, I swear--!" His cousin swung back an arm to strike him. Harry's anger boiled over.

The next thing he knew, Dudley was gone. Then came a distinct oinking sound.

Harry looked down to see a rather large potbellied pig with a realistic blonde wig slipping over its ears looking up at him mortified. He would have laughed, laughed until his sides split open, if the very real concept of getting expelled from Hogwarts had not crossed his mind.

Without warning, Dudley transformed back. He gaped wildly at Harry who grabbed his sponge and pail to run for it, leaving Dudley in his amazement.

-

Another afternoon in August.

Much hotter then July, and the plant life couldn't be greener in Privet Drive. The Dursleys were smart enough to stay in the air-conditioned home, but unfortunately, Harry was stuck doing outside chores since waking up that morning. He finished mowing the front and back lawn and started on scopping up the bags of glass clippings, heavily sweating and panting. All morning, something had been building up inside him, pulsing in his throat as a nasty lump since seven am, since leaving his nightmare behind once he regained consciousness. . .

_Sirius. . ._

Harry coughed weakly, brushing away the warmth gathering from his eyes with his fingertips. Disorientated by the never-ending heat and his muddled state, he lost his balance lugging the last bag and fell over onto the pile of clippings. As grass stains developed onto his jeans, as the sun continued to beat down on him, Harry couldn't even feel the tears escaping him.

As he coughed again, Aunt Petunia appeared out of nowhere in her pink fluffy apron, putting her hands on her hips. Harry expected her to start shrieking at him about being lazy and a crybaby on top of it all but she merely ordered calmly, "Get inside and sit down."

He had no choice but to obey, fearing that disagreeing would bring on her temper, and who was he to refuse a chance to leave the heat?

Getting to his feet, Harry stumbled dizzily, reaching to get the bag and Aunt Petunia slapped his hands firmly, "Leave it."

Uncle Vernon and Dudley were not at home as Harry sat down in the kitchen. They were both out of town for a boxing match until eight that evening. Aunt Petunia stood over Harry as he took a napkin to wipe his face. She eyed him, her two front horsy teeth biting into her lower lip.

"So...is something the matter...?"

Harry gawked at her, hardly believing that she was acting like a motherly figure to him while keeping a straight face. _Was this a trick?_

Slowly, he nodded to her and she sat down in the chair across from him, folding her hands in front of her patiently. When Harry opened his mouth to speak, a much louder and nastier cough came instead of words. Harry hastily covered his mouth.

Aunt Petunia eyed him again, waiting until his fits passed before saying, "Go upstairs. Your chores are done for the day. If you decide to get hungry, there is egg salad in the refrigerator." He goggled at her once more but obeyed.

From his bedroom window, Harry watched his aunt pick up his mess outside, looking perfectly content to do so.

. . .what a summer this was turning out to be.

-

Around the time the sun set, Harry heard the Dursley van pull up the gravel driveway. Changed into fresh clothes and cooled down, and had snuck a bit of egg salad from downstairs, he felt much better and mentally prepared for dealing with his blood relatives. He waited for someone to yell for him to get downstairs and it was his uncle that did the honors.

At the dinner table, Dudley already had his seat, a huge gold metal on his piggy neck. From beside their son, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley hovered around him, sniffing proudly. Dudley had looked a tad modest at the constant praisings as Harry sat down. Something welled in Harry's gut--something he couldn't explain quite right. As his aunt laid out plates of potatoes and meat, Harry glanced up at Dudley.

"Looks like you won the match." The Dursleys stopped eating. Harry added genuinely, "Congratulations."

He started cutting up his slab of dinner (considerably larger then he normally gotten before), very much aware of his family still oogling him. As the tension wore off, Uncle Vernon recounted the competition and Harry half listened while eating. He found that the feeling he had before was actual well-being for Dudley, of all things. Maybe Harry had felt bad about _really _turning Dudley into a pig in a wig last week. But surely, this was a rare moment.

"...Then they awarded him first place," Uncle Vernon concluded with a superior smirk. His wife nodded merrily, clapping her hands together.

Dudley turned to Harry, blurting out, "...eh, what's it like at that school of yours...eh, Hoggywartys or whatever?"

Everyone at the table except Dudley had dropped their utensils. Uncle Vernon's face blossomed into purple. Aunt Petunia opened and closed her mouth noiselessly. Harry fled from the room before any damage was done onto his person.

Safely in his locked bedroom, he gazed at Hedwig who clucked. "I think we're all going mad, Hedwig. I'm seeing things _and _hearing things." His snowy owl only blinked her amber eyes at him.

An unsure knock came from his door. Harry had not heard any screaming from downstairs or crashes. He assumed it safe to open his door. The knocker, Dudley poked his head in. "Can I come in?" He asked.

Stunned, Harry mumbled, "I....guess?" His cousin shut the door halfway behind him and stared, "So, what is Hoggywartys like?" He demanded. Harry didn't bother to correct him. He wasn't even sure if he was awake.

"It's....a lot different..." Harry said lamely.

"Dad said you had a broom..." Dudley said, piggy eyes shifting around the tiny bedroom. Harry went to closet to show him his Firebolt. His cousin brushed his flabby fingers on the wooden handle. "It looks like a broom..." Dudley looked up at Harry, "Does it fly? Let me try it!"

"Mugg...Non magic folk can't work them. Sorry. Um, why the sudden interest in my world?"

Dudley shrugged soundlessly before rushing over to Harry's owl. "What's his name?" He demanded curiously.

Harry put away his riding broom, replying vaguely, "_Her _name is Hedwig."

"What kind of name is _that_?" asked Dudley as he poked a finger in Hedwig's cage. She glared, looking greatly tempted to bite it but thought better of it. Harry decided then that visiting hours were over. He opened his bedroom door wide.

"It's from a book. So, Dudley, I don't mean to be rude or anything but I am getting tired. We'll have to have this discussion some other time."

Dudley rushed back to the doorway, protesting, "No, I was just wondering is all. I shouldn't get mixed up in this." He hurled himself downstairs.

Harry finally shut the door and locked it. He glanced back at Hedwig dubiously as he collapsed onto his bed.

"Yes...we're all going mad..."

The curious spell over Dudley didn't hold for long. In the morning, Harry was forced to do more chores as punishment for drinking extra water from the hose last week; Dudley grinned from his position on the sofa, shoving another slice of chocolate cake into his mouth.


	3. Little Secrets

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**Chapter 3 : Little Secrets**

Harry spent the early morning of August 5th inside his bedroom, hunting through his school trunk and the spaces hidden underneath his floorboards in hopes of attaining his spare ink bottle for some History of Magic homework. He finally found it in the pocket of his fifth year robe.

The green-eyed teenager got up off his hands and knees, looking out his bedroom window. Something look wrong. Several unfamiliar cars were lined up Mrs. Figg's driveway. She _never _had any visitors. _Ever_.

Downstairs, the rest of the Dursleys looked as confused as he did. All except Aunt Petunia who had called Harry downstairs and was staring at him in the hallway with a discontent frown. She said as he stepped into the family room, "Yesterday evening, Mrs. Figg suffered a heart attack. Her cousin had been invited over to the house and found her dead this morning in her room." Harry barely thought he had heard her. Outside the nearest window to him, a sparrow chirped merrily on a springy branch.

_Dead. . ._

"Dead?"

His uncle shot him an extremely annoyed look, not very stricken by the death of his neighbor. "Yes. Dead. Not _bloody _living--"

"I KNOW WHAT DEAD MEANS!" Harry snapped at him dangerously, blinking against his deep-seated rage and shock.

Aunt Petunia ignored their scramble. "We have been asked to attend the funeral, personally from Mrs. Figg's cousin. It has already started..." Her voice faded as Harry stepped back out from the hallway to the upstairs staircase. Inside his room, Harry slammed his door behind him (giving Hedwig a screech of alarm and irritation) and clutched the edges of his windowsill, breathing in tight gasps. Mrs. Figg, despite the unpleasant babysit stays at her home, had not deserved death--for whatever reason.

Harry bowed his head, trying to slow his breathing; he jumped when someone rapped on his door. His aunt twisted it open, avoiding his eyes and holding a gloomy suit on a hanger.

"Are you coming downstairs?" Harry shrugged. She added, "You were asked for especially. This is what you will be wearing."

After a quiet moment, he took it to dress slowly and deliberately.

-

The interior of Mrs. Figg's house had changed. It looked _normal_. And it didn't smell like cabbages or cats. In fact, there _weren't _any cats to be sighted lurking underneath couches or beds. And the couches and beds smelled faintly of lemon fabric cleaner. Somewhere in the back of Harry's mind--he believed this all to be some horrible practical joke. Or the work of Deatheaters. The latter seemed more plausible.

A woman in her late forties appeared in front of him almost the instant Harry had entered. She was dressed in a heavy navy-colored dress and wiping her bloodshot eyes with a crinkled napkin. "Are you Harry Potter?" She croaked.

When he nodded, the strange woman suddenly wrapped her arms around him and squeezed to the point of lung crushing. Harry, admittedly, had no idea what to do in this situation. A complete stranger who knew his full name was hugging him as if they were related.

She sniffed, pulling away at the terrified glance he gave her, "Oh dear, I am very sorry for startling you...you knew Ella Bell better then I did..."

"Ella Bella?"

"My childhood nickname for Arabella Figg. Pardon me, I haven't introduced myself. I am Rachel Figg, her cousin. She talked of you often...that is how I knew your name and what you looked like."

_'Spoke of me often?'_

Harry forced a convincing smile. "I am sorry to hear about your loss. She was nice to me when she use to babysit me." Mrs. Figg's cousin took one look at that smile and began sobbing so violently that she had to convince herself from the front den. He _did _feel bad for her. . .he knew what it was like to lose someone who was precious in his life and loved very much but had not seem often. . .

_Sirius's ecstatic expression when Harry agreed to stay with him. . ._

He closed his eyes, shaking away the memory. This wasn't place or time for it.

Because he had stopped paying attention to his surroundings, this allowed someone else to bump into him. Quite literally, a much shorter boy with reddish brown hair sticking out haphazardly underneath his baseball cap slammed into Harry's chest. Flushing, the boy stammered out an apology and made to run for it. Harry grabbed him by the arm. "Hang on! Aren't you Mark Evans?"

Mark turned back to him, taken back, "Y-yeah...how did you know...?"

"You fought my cousin Dudley in a boxing match before." The boy winced.

"_Ah_. Yes. The fat one."

"How did you know Mrs. Figg?" Harry said.

Mark shoved his hands into his jean pockets, talking to the floor, "I delivered her newspapers and my parents sent me to her house when they went to company balls." Harry nodded.

"Mrs. Figg use to babysit me too. Hard to get around the living room without stepping on cat tails."

The grin on Mark's face looked like it was being held back. "It's a shame she died and all. But I suppose everyone dies one day." The younger boy looked back down at the floor, "I've got to go..." He left without another word, leaving Harry to wonder _why _everyone was in a big hurry to get away from his presence. . .

When he entered the kitchen, Rachel gently ordered him from near the counter, her arms carrying a hefty salad bag, "Harry, will be a sweetie and get the old recipe books from down the cellar? There should be several with lettering on them." He nodded soundlessly.

In the center of the cellar, a lone hanging lightbulb swayed. Harry did find the recipe books on the top shelf of a bookshelf shoved against the wall. He scaled up groaning shelves with careful footing to pull down one with gold lettering. In his reach, he knocked down the shelf below, and littered on the very top was what looked like a small purple, leather bound journal. The fall of the books caused a wave of dust to rise. Harry covered his nose with a free hand as he crouched down to examine the damage.

None of the books seemed harmed. But the journal looked very peculiar (wide metallic edges, trimmed in silverish sparkle) but no lock.

Despite his better judgment (that bad history with finding strange, abandoned journals) Harry opened to the first elegantly written entry:

_Wicked~I can't believe Daddy got me a diary! I always wanted one of my very own--and it's BETTER then Janice's! Older sisters can be SUCH a pain sometimes! I thanked Daddy a million times--I'm just so happy as you can see! He hardly ever gets me presents except for the holidays. Janice always gets treats and toys. She bats her eyes and Mum and Daddy melt like puddles. I'm not much of a writer but at least mine is legible--unlike Janice's. Hers is all chicken scratch. When I tell her that, she hits me in the stomach. You should see the bruise I got last week for calling her neck pimply. Ever since we moved her, this boy Bobby Lee has been talking to me. Mum says it's because I am becoming a woman (at twelve?) and I have to be careful around "characters like him" now. I think she meant all boys. Oh, I hope he asks me to sit with him at lunch! Oh so I hope!_

_**Ella Bella, April 3rd**_

Git, hissed Harry's good judgment--to read a dead woman's diary on her funeral was a disgrace to her memory.

_I didn't mean to do it. I didn't mean it. Mum and Daddy must hate me. I didn't mean to kill Janice. I knew she had a weak heart and I only meant to scare her--when she felt down the stairs I knew I was murdering her. Janice doesn't look right anymore. Mum cries a lot after we buried her and Daddy doesn't talk to anyone much. But I know what he is thinking when he looks at me. "Why did you kill our baby girl Arabella? Why did you kill your big sister?" Bobby Lee won't talk to me anymore since the police talked to me. He probably thinks I'll kill him too. I've been hiding in the basement since morning--perhaps maybe I can die here and tell Janice that I am so sorry_

_**Ella Bella, November 2nd**_

Harry slapped the journal shut. No more.

Poor Mrs. Figg thinking that she had killed her own sister. By the sounds of it it must have been an accident but she took it hard on herself. Harry grunted as he scaled back up the bookshelf to put back the journal and grab the rest of the recipe books. In the middle of letting them drop onto the cement floor and taking a big step down, his face burst into pain from his scar, and Harry felt the world too burst--into darkness--

--_his emerald green eyes shot opened. He found himself sitting up from the dusty cement floor of the cellar. In one of the corners, a thin looking girl in a flowery dress was curled up asleep. Her face looked tear-stained and she clutched the small purple journal to her chest._

_He watched as a young Arabella Figg dug herself tighter into a ball, just as a shadow rushed past him to her. A man with long dark hair, supposedly her Father, Harry guessed, knelt down to shake her awake. "Arabella! Get up! What on Earth on you doing down here!?"_

_"Waiting to die." She replied sleepily. Arabella started crying, "I was waiting to die so I could apologize to Janice!" _

_"Honey, it wasn't your fault." His dark eyes softened. "I know it wasn't. It was a terrible accident. Your sister loved you very much."_

_"Really Daddy?"_

_A woman with blonde hair rushed down the cellar stairs, "Jack, the police said--!" She stopped talking when she saw them and scooped up Arabella, weeping hysterically, "MY BABY! Where have you been? Are you alright? I've missed you! We thought something bad had happened to you!!"_

_"I'm sorry Mum." The small girl nuzzled her mother's hair. "I'm sorry, I won't ever hide again." Her father smoothed Arabella's hand as they all trooped upstairs; Arabella's mother going on about hot chocolate and running a warm bath for her daughter--_

--"Harry! Wake up!"

Something heavy was crushing his ribs and lungs, keeping the air from coming in through his throat. Rachel's gray eyes hovered over him. "Don't move. We'll help you, Harry." She turned away to speak to someone else and there was immense relief on his chest as the collapsed book shelf was removed from his person. Still not moving on the floor, Harry's back began to ache from the mountain of fallen books pressing into his spine.

Rachel managed to get them from out from under him and tucked a folded up blanket under his head, "Harry, can you hear me at all? Can you speak to me to tell me you are alright?" He sucked in a deep breath.

"What...happened...?"

She said, her voice wavering, "I was fixing the salad when I heard the crash. It came from the cellar and I ran down here...and...and you were crushed underneath all the books and the shelves. They said you must have climbed on them and they broke... I shouldn't have let you... _we could have had another death in this house_...!"

An older gentlemen touched her shoulder when Mrs. Figg's cousin began trembling.

"It was an accident, Rachel. I sent Don to call an ambulance."

Harry tried to get up. "No, no, I don't need an ambulance. I'm okay." Alarmed, the gentlemen tried pushing Harry down by his shoulders. "Son, you could be serious hurt and not know it. Try to relax." Rachel started trembling harder at this possibility. This made Harry struggle harder to prove he was fine. Luckily, the man 'Don' was a practiced paramedic himself and found Harry to be uninjured except for a nasty bump on his backside and head. After a couple moments, Harry was beginning to get queasy but said nothing as he attempted to comfort Rachel.

"Don't be stupid." He said, touching her other shoulder not held by the gentlemen. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have predict this."

Mrs. Figg's cousin sniffled, croaking, "It's just...you were lying there... like she had been... I found her all pale on the floor and I thought maybe she had tripped over and hit her head... then they said she was dead. I never got to know her better. I was a terrible cousin." She insisted.

"She'd forgive you, and call you silly for getting worked up." Harry said. Rachel smiled despite her tears.

-

Harry said goodbye to Mrs. Figg's relatives by evening as the Dursleys insisted they had enough of the gloomy atmosphere.


	4. No Longer Protected

**_xXxEDITING PROCESS 7/15/09xXx_  
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Chapter 4: No Longer Protected

_With his expression frozen forever in amusement mixed with a sense of dismay, Sirius's boy draped into a calm curve as he tumbled backwards--into the black--into the demise--behind the Veil. It fluttered like a faintened heartbeat before stilling._

_Harry felt his legs (...in this dream...?) pump as he raced for the dais, as Lupin wrapped his strong arms around him to hold him back-- to restrain him from catching his godfather--preventing him from leaping to his utter death. . .Sirius would come back though. . .he would never really leave him. . ._

_In vain, Harry struggled against Lupin violently and broke free as Bellatrix Lestrange; Sirius's murderer; bolted with a screech of joy._

_He chased after her through the underground of the Ministry--wanting a taste of revenge--willing to murder for it-- he flew up the stone benches--passing his friends in the brain room so fast that they were a useless blur. Harry waited as the blue flames stopped whirling and the door appeared. Only, it was a different looking door then the one that would lead him to the fountain was. But he needed to see where it lead. . ._

_Beyond the brass decorated door, Harry stepped into another scene entirely._

_A huge, homey mansion lit with a candlestick chandelier. The stars outside the windows twinkled on as flashing green lights and distant screaming shook the glass in their frames. It had been that close. Harry swiveled around to two figures standing near the front hall, their faces hidden from him. One of them held out a wand and was shouting at the other frantically; Harry got a good look at a dark-skinned woman with a bundle in her right arm racing up the stairs; a loud boom shook the house's framework; and Harry was dropping. . .  
_

Harry's eyes cracked open. He moaned, looking up at his mattress. He had fallen out of bed. _Again._

Reaching for his glasses on the desk nearby, Harry stood up, murmuring audibly, "Ow." His body ached where the bad fall from Mrs. Figg's funeral had happened. He stretched out his shoulders cautiously and rubbed the space between them.

"_WHAT THE **BLOODY **HELL ARE YOU DOING UP THERE, BOY!?_"

"Practicing falling out of bed!" shouted Harry back sarcastically.

"_GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT_!"

He rolled his green eyes and obeyed. Uncle Vernon met him in the kitchen, glaring furiously as his mustache twitched. "_DON'T SASS BACK AT ME_!"

Harry muttered darkly, "I've been having a bad week, okay? I kind of--"

_"WHAT DID I **JUST **GET THROUGH TELLING YOU!?"_

"Not to sass back but--"

"_ARE YOU DEAF OR JUST STUPID?"_

Harry dug a finger into his ear canal. "I'm surprised I haven't gone deaf at this rate." His uncle was about to say something else to that remark but the pierce of the telephone ringing interrupted him. Uncle Vernon stomped over to it, speaking gruffly into the mouthpiece, spit flaking it.

_"WHAT!?"_

Silence followed. Uncle Vernon's face pinched up. "Who?" Another period of silence. He turned scarlet faced to Harry. "It's for _YOU_."

Trying to hide his shock, Harry took it numbly from his uncle and stepped into the hallway for privacy. "Hello?"

"...is this Harry Potter?"

A slow warm smile crept over him; the hollow in his chest being filled with happiness. Hermione Granger's voice was talking to him.

"Hey, 'mione. How are you?"

She laughed politely, "Fine, and you?" Harry wanted to laugh back but without humor. She was always worrying.

"I'm going out of my mind. I need to get out of here." Harry said.

Hermione made a throaty noise on the other end. "Professor Dumbledore told you to stay there...you should listen to him."

"I don't care. I can't stand being here for another second. Everything here is absolutely mad, Hermione."

She whispered anxiously, "You'll have to tough it out you know. We all want you to be safe. The only way V-_Voldemort_ can't get to you is if you stay at your aunt and uncle's house...even if they are perfectly horrid people..." Harry had to smile gleefully at this. His uncle peeked in on him.

"Alright, I won't try to escape. You are lucky you reached me when you did."

Hermione said coldly, "If that was a joke, I'm not laughing."

"Who says I was?"

A cool hush fell over the connection, and Hermione said, "Goodbye Harry."

Harry hung up, feeling worse then before. Didn't they understand this was hard on him too? His uncle stopped spying from around the kitchen's door frame and towered over him, threatening, "Pay attention boy, I'm taking Dudley to another match. We won't be back until tomorrow night. Behave with your aunt or you will regret the day you were born." Harry merely muttered under his breath.

As the Dursley van left the driveway, Aunt Petunia threw a rag at him curtly, "Start your chores." When Harry tried to make eye contact with her, she ignored him, walking to the opposite end of the house. He worked on the flower gardens, dusted the house, vacuumed, and washed the inside and outside of the front den's windows. Harry was halfway through the afternoon washing the Dursley's other car when a familiar prickle of apprehension bristled the hairs on his neck. Someone was watching him.

It didn't feel friendly. Harry gently set down his things. All of a sudden, Aunt Petunia appeared, seizing his elbow with her sharp clean fingernails digging into his skin as she pulled him none-too-kindly to the front door. "Get inside now!"As it was locked and she gazed fretfully out of the door's upper window, Aunt Petunia took that moment to whirl around to him and demand, "Stay here," before running into the hallfway.

Deeply and honestly confused, Harry followed after to her to the family room find that his aunt had vanished.

"Is _scaredy _Potter looking for his Aunty?" A horrible screechy laugh followed. A flash of black dust and Bellatrix Lestrange materialized. Harry screwed up his eyes a moment in wishing that this moment was truly _not _happening. When he reopened his eyes, she had pointed her wand at him and her heavily lidded eyes narrowed with pleasure.

"I'm on strict orders. There's no one here to stop me little _baby _Potter. No Aurors. No friends. No one here to save you."

"Except me." Harry smirked as Remus Lupin came from behind Harry, looking grayer and shabbier then ever but a sight or sore eyes indeed.

Bellatrix snorted loudly at him. "Look who joined us. _The werewolf_." She stressed the word 'werewolf' to make it sound like it was the most disgusting sound on Earth. Lupin's lined face hardened.

"Harry, leave now."

When Harry took a step back, the Deatheater kept her wand at him. "Oh no, you aren't going anywhere, Potter."

Lupin took out his wand to level it at her. "You will let this boy go, Bellatrix."

She sneered and shouted at the top of her lungs, "_STUPEFY_!" at Harry who didn't have his wand with him. He was deadened in place. Something rose in his chest, making his head and face tingle. Before the spell could reach him, it bounced back to the Deatheater. She disappeared in a puff of rapid black smoke before the spell could reach her and at that same moment, Lupin grabbed Harry's arm to Apparate them.

In the hallway of Grimmauld's Place, Harry dropped onto his knees, feeling extremely faint. As if he had ran several miles without a break. Lupin helped him into a chair in the next room, handing him a block of chocolate.

Harry frowned, "I wasn't attacked by dementors." His father's friend pushed it at him cheerfully.

"It helps when you are drained." Upon testing a chunk, it turned out to be true. Lupin observed, "That's pretty advanced."

"What's advanced?"

The lined man perched on a bench nearby. "Wandless magic. Most witches and wizards can't even block the simplest spells without a wand. What you did back there was something more advanced in magic level." Harry thought back to the Dudley-turning-into-a-pig incident.

Lupin grinned at him as if reading his thoughts, "You aren't in trouble for turning your cousin. Only you and I know, oh, and Dumbledore."

"Was I being followed this summer?"

"By me. You really do need to keep your temper about you." Harry blinked sleepily as Lupin added matter-of-factly, "Tired, Harry?"

He chuckled, rubbing his eyes under his glasses, "Aunt Petunia had me doing chores all day...wait, what happened to her when Belltrix showed up?" Harry's heart leapt into his throat, as he began fearing the worst.

"She's just fine now." Lupin clasped his shoulder kindly, "Honestly, why don't you get some rest?"

Harry whispered, "No...s'ok..." His eyelids drooped as the other man helped him up and led him upstairs though Harry refused copiously. He fell asleep as his head hit the pillow in Siriu's room.


	5. A Pep Talk

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Chapter 5: A Pep Talk

Must clung to the sheets on the bed Harry awoke- Sirius's bed- a dark ceiling above him and dusty covers that enveloped him.

He slid on his glasses and stood to find his and Ron's shared room. As expected, Ron's things were already scattered on his coverlet, robes flopping halfway to the floor. His moving Viktor Krum poster hung on the wall nearest the door, scowling gloomily and handsomely at Harry as he observed his surroundings. Harry's things were already in place on and near his cot, along with Hedwig.

A ball of puffy feathers burst into the bedroom. Ron's owl Pig bombarded him and Harry brushed him away impatiently as the tiny owl pecked him happily. Hedwig watched the scene unfolded with an undisguised and appalled hoot. Harry ventured downstairs, taking a moment to observe the same distorted heads of the once living House Elves living in the Black house; the curtained and silent portrait of Mrs. Black; and the troll leg of an umbrella stand. To his relief, Kreacher had been evidently kicked out of Headquarters.

Sitting in the front room, reading the newest _Daily Prophet_, was Lupin. He looked up at Harry expectantly, "Sleep well, Harry?"

"Where is everyone else," Harry said after he nodded. Lupin rose to his feet, presenting him with a plate of eggs and toast.

"Some breakfast?" Harry accepted with a thankful smile. Lupin seated back down, folding his newspaper. "The Aurors are at the office right now. Mrs. Weasly took everyone else to see Fred and George's new shop in Diagon Alley. They should be back later depending how long they plan on staying out." Harry finished up silently and Lupin looked like he wanted to say more to him but instead patted his shoulder and continued reading. Harry went back upstairs, feeling strangely ignored and wandered the house a bit.

It looked black and dirty as ever. He found a few locked doors and couldn't open them with the Unlocking Charm. Harry found himself sinking deeper and deeper into a clouded, lonely depression. He looked into the room with the battered tapestry and discovered Sirius's useless knife on the floor below it.

Harry entered, bending down to scoop it up and clutching it to his chest with a pained expression. A distant voice said softly to him, "Sirius was honorable."

He spun around, feeling a twinge of embarrassment. A tall woman stood in the corner of the room, her hand lying flat to the tapestry. Her thick black hair laid on her shoulders concealed by a basic-looking black robe. She stepped towards him, gazing at the tapestry behind him with her darkish brown eyes, "I remember he use to spend all his time at his friend's house instead of home. Even on holiday from school. He hated his own family so much... I couldn't blame him, of course," she said, cringing a little at her own words.

"Who are you?" Harry's voice came out angry.

Her black-painted fingernails brushed against a charred hole. "Darcie Black... Sirius and Regulus Black's younger sister." It seemed a bit unreal to Harry that moment. That a flesh-and-blood female clan of the Black's still existed... related to _Sirius _directly to his blood... standing right in front of him.

"Why is it Sirius has never mentioned you before?" came his suspicious question.

Darcie gave Harry an exasperated glance, "Could you blame him? I was a Deatheater. No one ever wanted to mention me, no one I cared for anyway. I was worse then Regulus. They all pretended I didn't exist when I turned to Dumbledore's side. I grew to hate being on the side of the Dark Lord and backed out before it got really grim. My lovely Mum hated me for it." She gestured to a burnt hole with a sour expression, murmuring, "I haven't seen this place in ages..."

Harry glowered, but very much bemused. "Why are you here?"

Her voice was soft and steady, "To care for you," she twiddled her fingers nervously, "That's what a godmother does when her godchild is left parentless."

He stumbled back. "G-Godmother?"

"After Sirius was appointed as your godfather, I met up with Lily. We knew each other from Hogwarts and I got to see James again. They were having a spot of trouble finding a godmother for you. They were considering making it Molly Weasley since they were very good friends with her at the time. But in the end, they chose me. I guess... they believed I could be given a second chance, and believe you me Harry, you don't get a lot of second chances in life. When I got here last week, Molly was very hostile towards me. She is still envious that I am the one who is to take care of you. I have nothing against the dear girl but her jealousy is very silly to me. We aren't schoolgirls anymore and the fact that she is still clinging to it-"

Harry interrupted, "-I'm not sure I want an ex-Deatheater to be my guardian. You walk in here, talking about Sirius and saying Mrs. Weasley is _silly_. You expect me to know you?"

She shook her head, "No. And if you don't want me to take care of you than its ok. I wouldn't trust me either."

But Harry wasn't finished, he raged on, "Where were you when I was little? Or in my first year? Second? Third? Fourth? Fifth? _SIXTH_? You're my godmother, why didn't you take care of me? _HUH_!"

Darcie pressed her lips together shamefully.

"You were under the care of your aunt and uncle. I couldn't take care of you. I talked to Dumbledore about this... he thought living with them would be better for you, then living with... well, like you said, an _ex-Deatheater_." She hovered into his air space, whispering very softly, "The fact is, Harry, you no longer need to be watched. You're a big boy now. You can handle yourself."

She backed away with a serious eyebrow quirk and he spoke up, "I'll think about it." She never ceased a step on her way out.

"Whatever makes you happy."

Harry looked back at Sirius's knife. This was too much to handle. Harry disappeared into the dimly-lit hallway and headed straight for his room when Mrs. Black's portrait started hollering. Downstairs, a large group of people standing, chatting loudly nearest the landing, Tonks had been the one who caused the racket by knocking over the umbrella stand. He knew this by the bright pink in her cheeks. The Aurors arrived behind them, probably stopping for a short meeting. He could make out all the Weasley's bright red hair and Hermione's bushy head.

They looked like they had Flooed and were excitedly talking about the new shop. Harry saw his best friend's satisfied, ashy faces, looking the same as they had in sixth year. He resist the enormous urge of running down and hugging the living daylights out of them right then and there by turning away and finishing his route. As soon as Harry got into his room, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He pretended to rummage through his trunk. Harry twisted keenly around to his friends as they entered . Ron stood behind a trembling Hermione. They were completely still at the sight of him.

Harry caught a glimpse of the tears shining in Hermione's eyes and he grinned at her warmly, asking, "Where's my hug Hermione?"

She laughed, embracing him securely and murmuring, "...We heard."

Harry burrowed his brows, pulling away, "Heard what?"

Ron said, "Lupin mentioned Bellatrix coming your house."

"Oh, are you alright?"

He said sincerely to her, pleasure filling his being, "Yes. She fled like a coward."

Harry turned to Ron, "Good to see you mate."

Ron smirked, giving him an one-armed hug, "Dinner's starting. Coming down?" Ron and Hermione left the room; Harry trailed behind them and noticed that they gave each other a shy glance. Letting out a snort of laughter, he threw his arms around their shoulders and led them downstairs into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley hugged him forcefully upon seeing him, "Oh Harry, dear!"

Arthur Weasley pulled her away and shook Harry's hand violently. As they all sat down at the dining table, an azure-haired Tonks grinned at him from across the way, "Wotcher, Harry." He returned the grin and tucked in, plates of delicious food passed around, and Harry greedily eyed them as if they were mounts of treasure. Harry ate like he had been starved insane. Molly Weasley clicked her tongue in sympathy as he downed his third helping. He looked down the long table, to his astonishment, Darcie sat beside Tonks and was engaged an a very friendly conversation. Harry caught Mrs. Weasly giving her a look of pure antipathy and Darcie pretended not to perceive the look, cupping her face away from the red-haired woman.

He looked at his friends, trying to take his mind off it. "How was your summers?"

Ron swallowed his half chewed lump of meat. "Not much happened."

Hermione agreed, "Yes, it was a tad dull. How was yours, Harry?"

He set down his fork, knowing that they would have asked, seeing how he set himself up for the retaliation. Harry shrugged, lying, "Nothing happened really."

She gave him a stern look, "Don't lie Harry, when I called you before, you were ready to break out of your aunt and uncle's house. What happened?"

Harry felt his irritation rise, he said with clenched teeth and clenched fists, "I'd rather not talk about it Hermione. Leave it."

Ron tried to stop her but Hermione slammed down her napkin, "No Harry, you _have _to talk to us! You have to let us know what's wrong!"

Lupin intervened, "Hermione, I think Harry has-"

"_No_! I think his friends have a right to know what's the matter! Why won't you talk to us Harry?"

"BECAUSE YOU WOULDN'T GET IT!" Harry's temper boiled over.

"_Get what_?"

"YOU THINK YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO SEE THE PATHETIC VERSION OF YOURSELF AND TO REALIZE HOW SAD YOU REALLY ARE AFTER ALL THIS TIME! OR GRASP THE FACT THAT EVERYTHING YOU ONCE BELIEVED IN AND EVERYONE YOU KNEW IS BECOMING A COMPLETE LIE! OR WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND FINALLY RECOGNIZE THAT YOUR DESTINY DEPENDS ON EITHER BECOMING A MURDERER OR BEING MURDERED TO SAVE EVERYONE ELSE FROM '_UNSPEAKABLE EVI_L'!" He knocked his chair over and stormed up to his room, feeling a huge release of frustration fade from him. Harry slammed his bedroom door close and threw himself alongside the wall, smashing his fists against the bricks and panting hard.

He took up his best friend's letters from his trunk and tearing them to shreds, close to shedding tears. Ripped bits flew everywhere.

"Nice speech down there Harry. Fred and George was right... you shouldn't bottle up your anger like that."

Harry muttered, wiping his forehead with his sleeve, "Ginny, what do you want?"

The youngest Weasly eyed the room from the closet doorway, hazel eyes emotionless, "Hey, I don't think I've ever had a real good look at this place. It looks better then the room Hermione and I are staying in." Ginny jumped on Ron's bed, kicking her feet up. He swallowed, beginning tos weep up the paper pieces.

"Ginny, really, I'm not in the mood."

She rolled her eyes, "Come on, we need to have a nice_ talk. _We haven't had a good talk in a long while." Ginny sat up, her mood become somber, "Harry, I know you had a bad fifth year and difficult sixth, and that you're trying to cope with Sirius's death... but you need to get over it, and fast." Ginny threw up her hands when Harry stared at her, "I'm not trying to be offense to Sirius's memory. I'm really not. Just listen to me. Life does suck, but we have to deal. Or else we'd be walking basket cases. Get what I mean?" She shrugged, brushing her robes, "Alright...I can see your temper is threatening to rise again. I'm glad we had this chat though. You know, we should have more of these often." She went over squeezed his shoulder, "Don't be too down on yourself, ok?"

She winked sweetly and left Harry to think about what she said. He thought about it as sleep overtook him.


	6. Deep Sorrow

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Chapter 6: Deep Sorrow

His scar burned. And burned. And burned. He woke up with a start from the intense sensation ripping through his skull. He cried out and banged his head against the low beam above his bed, and it barely registered. Harry fell onto the floor in a crooked heap of limbs and blankets. He moaned and shuddered as scrapes of a vision came along -

_- A gloomy ivy-coated house on a hill - An old moldy dark room - A fireplace downstairs with a huge claw-feet chair - A flash of red hair on a girl - _

Harry gasped, eyes fluttering open, and he silently willed himself not to vomit.

"...Ginny?"

Pounding footsteps and the shrieking of Mrs. Black's portrait in the hall downstairs. Shaking, Harry changed into a loose nightrobe and followed the noises. He was nearly barreled into by several running wizards and Ministry officials. He spotted the Weasleys crowding in the drawing room. Mrs. Weasley was sobbing on Ron's shoulder though it was more like his arm because of her shortness.

Before Harry could speak up, Hermione breezed past him as if he were invisible, "They haven't found anything yet-!" She hesitated. "Oh. Harry, you're up."

All of the Weasleys looked at him and he frowned, asking "...What the bloody hell is going on?"

Bill blurted out, his dragon-fang earring flashing by the lamplight, "Ginny's been taken, Harry. Earlier this morning she pulled Fred aside and said she was taking a walk around the neighborhood. No onehas seen her since. They think the Dark Lord has got her. We're not sure but it... all points..." Mrs. Weasly started howled and Charlie touched her shoulder comfortingly.

Harry's mind processed what he was saying as the flashes from his vision rushed through in his head. Ron asked, "Harry, mate, what is it?"

"I know where she is."

Mrs. Weasly abruptly stopped sobbing and Harry gripped Ron's arm, whispering, "Come on. We're going to Diagon Alley."

.-.-.-.

Without permission, both boys Flooed and landed in a pile of ashes in Flourish and Blotts. Ron picked himself up, shouting, "What the bloody-?" Harry was already on his way out the entrance and the his reluctant companion sighed, following him. Harry guided the way into Knockturn Alley, walking through the sloping shadowy streets until they stopped in front of a solid brown brick wall.

"They'll come after us, you know," Ron explained as Harry took out his wand and examined it calmly.

"For their sake, I hope not. You want to go back, mate?"

"...This is my little sister. I'm not going anywhere."

Harry nodded and glanced at the wall in front of them. "Magic isn't going to get us in," he said with a definite tone. Ron threw up his hands.

"You're not making any sense, into_ what?_! What are we looking for?"

Harry inspected the bricks closer.

"Ginny is somewhere behind this wall..." he explained, "I just don't know..." A small engraving of a cobra snake caught his eye. The body curled around in a circle and reared back its head, posing as if ready to strike. Harry narrowed his eyes. _"In the name of Tom Riddle, of decay and dark... I renounce those who will not obey the Sssacred Mark."_

A _bang_, a _flash_, and there stood a maplewood door in front of their eyes. Ron gaped.

"Bloody hell! How did you do that?" Harry dismissed his question with a wave of his hand. He clamped his hand over the doorknob and winced, backing away to shake his hand frantically.

"What? What happened?"

Harry grimaced, flexing his blistering palm, "The doorknob is hot like an oven." He took in a breath and swung open the door fast. They jumped into pitch black and the door closed behind them, leaving in their wake total darkness. Ron crawled along the wall to flip on thelight switch and a dull overhead light shone down. Fresh blood dripped onto the floor from the popped cuts on Harry's hand.

Harry heard him order, "Give it over." He extended out his burnt hand and Ron eyeballed it at a close distance, confirming, "...Goods. You'll be fine. It is weird... it looks similar to a burn a Welsh dragon would give. I've only seen these on Charlie." Harry cradled his hand close.

"Must have known we'd take this way. Let's go." They crept to the only door in the room and stepped out into the plum carpeted hallway, down the stairs. Harry cautiously peeked into the living room.

There, sitting in front of a roaring fire, in a luxurious chair, was the Dark Lord Voldemort. His slitted, blood red eyes traveled over the room and landed in a corner where Ginny Weasley was tied to a solid-looking and wooden chair. She struggled against her ropes aggressively. Her beautifully hazel eyes enveloped with a jumble of anger and terror.

Ron murmured beside Harry, "_Gin_-" He covered up his mouth with one hand quickly and listened in the shadowy hallway. Voldemort got off his chair.

"Now... Ginny, my dear, I do not wish to harm you. I just wish for your cooperation in telling me where Harry Potter is. He obviously lived in the area you were wandering in..."

She snarled, "Like hell I will! You'll have to kill me first!"

Harry shook his head, heart leaping...

_'Ginny, don't give him any ideas' _

His chalky white face broke into an evil smile as he said gleefully, "_Crucio_!" Her screams pierced Harry's ears and he held Ron back as her brother lunged forward. They remained in the shadows, breathing hard as Ginny's yells turned to tiny whimpers. Lord Voldemort spoke up once again, cruelly mocking, "Let's try this again..."

Ron broke out Harry's grasp and ran out with his wand held up high. Harry shouted, "_Ron_!" and chased after him but they had already been seen.

The Dark Lord chuckled, gesturing to her trembling form, "My, my, it looks as if you have some saviors, my dear. One of your brothers, and the famous Harry Potter."

Harry realized that he didn't have his wand with him. Cursing himself in his head, Harry said, feeling his scar burning, "Let her go. You have no use for her. This is between you and me."

Voldemort smirked , looking back at Ginny as her ropes undid themselves. She stared at the boys as if they were mad for being here. He replied, "Oh... I suppose there are a few that could be presentable if circumstances were right." Ginny gasped at the cut of Voldemort's fleeting glance.

"You'll regret that remark," Ron spat.

"Ron, _don't_!"

Ginny shot them a fearful gaze as Harry yelled this and as she slowly inched across the room, pressing herself on the wall.

"A stubborn Weasley, are you? Potter's right. It is just between us." He drew himself to his fullest height and boomed, "_Avada Kedvra!_"

Harry had no time to act, no one did, except for the one person who already knew the right path. The blinding green light exploded with its luminosity. When it weakened, the scene unfolded. Three bodies on the floor. One Dark Lord Disapparated. On the floor, Harry Potter wheezed, very much alive. On the right, staring at him were the dead glassy eyes of sixteen-year-old Ginevra Weasly.

_"Life does suck, but we have to deal. Or else we'd be walking basket cases. Get what I mean?"_

.-.-.-.

He didn't know how they got back. He didn't care. He entered Headquarters with a blind mind. The residents of Headquarters rushed around like mindless insects, too busy, too stupid to notice him at first. Finally, they began to take notice of his dusty and paled visage. The Aurors came running out of the hallway along with the Weasleys and Hermione.

"We found her," his voice cracked in the middle of his sentence. Harry turned away as Ron burst past him, carrying Ginny's dead body in his arms. He was sobbing.

"_She's dead! She's dead!_"

Hermione lost all her color as her two best friends, staggering back. Mrs. Weasley cradled Ginny into her arms, falling onto the floor to clutch the body against her chest and hysterically shrieked. As the mass of wizards, witches, and Ministry officials crowded around; Harry, disregarded, slid back on the wall and slipped onto the floor.

It was his fault... Ginny sacrificed her life selflessly in order for him to go on. Harry took off his glasses, covered his eyes with his sleeve, and wept. No one bothered to get him. Until that evening.

Hermione appeared out of nowhere, kneeling down beside him mindlessly staring off into space. "It's time for dinner Harry," she said flatly. His shoulders jerked as if he had been surprised. His dulling eyes were unsure, unsure of who she was. Harry brushed his fingers on her cheek softly to test if she was real. Hermione lowered them, a bit unsettled. "H- Are you coming to dinner?"

He nodded after a moment and got up, pursuing her into the kitchen. The Aurors and Weasleys inside sat eating with only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gone. Everyone purposely stared at their own plates and Harry looked at them all, hardly believing that they could all be acting like Ginny wasn't. . . . wasn't. . .

Ron glanced at him with wide and blank eyes, holding out a basket of rolls. "Want some Harry?"

"I've lost my appetite." Harry ran up the staircase with no reply. He sat on his bed and ran his fingers into his hair, pressing his palms against his forehead.

After a few minutes, his door cracked open and a meek voice whispered, "Harry? Harry, are you alright?"

He murmured as Hermione entered, giving him a sympathetic smile, "Go away, I'm fine." She sat beside him and glanced at his gloomy form.

"You're not fine."

Harry snorted sarcastically.

"How did you guess?" He removed his hands from his face, disregarding the tears glistening on his chin.

Hermione reached out.

"Harry..."

"I'm not a child!" he snapped, and she withdrew from him shamefully, "I wish everyone would stop treating me like one!"

"No, you're not a child... You have grown up."

Harry sighed, pulling his knees to his chest and placing his chin on them.

"What do you think this year going to be like?"

Hermione shook her head.

"I don't know."

He breathed, "_...Liar_," and met her shocked brown eyes, "You know. I know that you do." Hermione exhaled, biting her lower lip.

"It will be... hard. Harder than last year especially from all these deaths. Ginny's..." Harry's emerald eyes grew very wide behind his glasses. He looked at her with those wet eyes.

"Say it again."

She asked nervous, shaking her head in confusion, "Harry...?"

Harry took hold of her shoulders roughly.

"Say it!"

Hermione said fearfully under his teary gaze, "Ginny is dead."

He said evenly, "Say it again."

"Ginny is... dead."

Harry let the words wash over him and let her go, staring off into space. After a moment of silence, he murmured, "That's the first time I've heard someone say it..."

"Harry, are you okay?"

Harry did not respond and began giggling into his hands, "Ginny is dead. Ginny is dead. _Ginny is dead_!" He began hysterically laughing and Hermione grasped him up by the jumper collar and slapped him across the face. Harry stopped dead and she covered her mouth slightly, horrified.

"_Oh_..." His body sank a little. "I'm so sorry, Harry..."

Harry gasped, "I'm so tired, 'Mione. So tired-" He pitched forward and felt her tug him up, her anxious and kind face clouding his vision.

"Harry, should I go get some help?" He shook his head faintly, his vision clearing.

"No, I just need rest."

She asked again, "Are you sure?"

Harry forced a smile.

"Yeah. G'night, Hermione."

She smiled back uncertainly and left the boy's bedroom with one last, lingering gaze on him. Harry closed his eyes when she exited the doorway, whispering to himself, "...I'm sorry, Ginny."


	7. A Visit to Knockturn Alley

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Chapter 7: A Visit to Knockturn Alley

Harry couldn't get to sleep that evening. He kept dreaming about Ginny's glassy, hazel eyes and her agonized screams under the influence of the Cruciatus Curse. Harry found himself hiding in Sirius' room with Buckbeak, stroking the hippogriff's cool beak, seeking comfort in his intelligent and bright orange eyes and his familiar presence. It wasn't until later that Ron located him in that bedroom, feeding Buckbeak the dead rats and raccoons from his feeding pouch.

"Harry?" He looked at Ron who called his name guardedly and continued feeding the hippogriff. Ron remained at the door. "I heard you last night."

"Doing what?"

"Muttering... it was about Ginny, wasn't it?" Harry swallowed the bile rising in his throat.

"Yes..."

"Why are you acting like her death is the end of the world?"

Harry looked at him not only deeply baffled but outraged that such words had passed from his lips. He was greeted by the sight of tears in Ron's hazel eyes.

"My sister did not die so that you could wallow and fade into the background like you were already dead to everyone. She did it so you could have another chance, another chance to live. She knew how important it was that you could fight, and _you _act like what she did doesn't even matter!" He ran out after his passionate outburst and Harry could have sworn that Buckbeak gave him a look that stated: _"Now look what you've gone and done."_ Harry watched him fall asleep beside Sirius' bed and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon.

Finally, he ambled out of the bedroom, stopping in the middle of the hallway. Harry pulled out Sirius's uselessknife and gazed at it... all of this... was too much. Everything was too much.

He had to get out.

Harry was on his way to his bedroom to pack when Ron and Hermione entered. As if sensing what he was up to, Hermione said the Locking Charm, and his door wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried to break it. He took out his wand in rebuttal and Hermione cried, "_Expelliarmus!_" His wand flew into her hand and Harry asked them begrudgingly, "What do you want?"

"To talk to you! We know you are upset but you shouldn't act rashly! Try to stay calm and just talk to us!"

"I don't want to talk."

Hermione's eyes rolled. "_Please_! Just once, act your age, Harry!" Harry growled.

"What are you trying to say?" Ron tried to stop them, to cut them off, but Hermione fumed on.

"I'm saying you should start behaving like you are seventeen, _not seven_!" Harry stole his wand back from her hands and unlocked the door by shouting, "_Alohomora!_"

She grabbed his arm, fingernails biting into his bare skin. "Don't you-!"

Harry looked at his reddening arm then at her with flickering eyes

"Let me go, you bossy... KNOW-IT-ALL!" He screamed into her face.

Hermione returned the scream, "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE, HARRY? YOU'RE A SELFISH BRAT! A FOUL, THICK, INSENSITIVE, LITTLE-!" She didn't get to finished. Harry felt his arm draw back and his fist connected with her left cheek. Her head went snapping back and she fell onto a heap on the floor, staring up at him with unbelieving eyes.

He was numb... absolutely numb... this was the _first _and _only _time he had hit her.

God... he hit Hermione.

A streak of blood shone as she wiped her lips with the back of her hand and Harry was socked in the face by Ron, who looked about ready to kill him. Harry touched the growing bruise on the side of his face and bolted, leaping off the stairs and flying out the door._ I hit her...I hit her...I hit her..._

Crazy thoughts and ideas filled his head- he'd move to America and change his name- escape to a asylum and throw away the lock when they shut him in- or commit himself to... to...

Blurry figures passed his view as his legs pumped faster and faster. His breath grew ragged as Harry stopped under a lone streetlight. This neighborhood was unfamiliar to him. He didn't know how long he ran but it must have been a good eight minutes at least. Harry tried to catch his breath; he was still numb. He knew exactly where he wanted to go. Harry took his wand out with his right hand to expectantly wait as the Knight Bus bounce its way over to where he stood. Stan came out of the purple triple-decker, pimples and all.

Harry shoved some gold at him and muttered, "Just take me to the Leaky Cauldron." Stan smiled with his yellow teeth.

" 'Arry Pott-"

Harry took out his wand and pointed at his skinny and pimpled neck.

"Shut your bloody gob and get me to the Leaky Cauldron."

Stan turned to the driver fearfully, shrugging. "Better do w'at 'e says." The bus started moving and Harry clutched the side railing, not moving from where he was the entire trip.

It stopped after an half an hour and he grabbed a heavy cloak nearby, to hid his identity, and said upon exiting, "Thanks." Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron and went straight to Tom the innkeeper. The old man bared his almost toothless mouth.

"'Ello, sir, a room?"

Harry nodded, still hidden under the hood.

"Name?"

It was a second's moment but then Harry stated lowly, disguising his voice, "James. I have no last name."

The innkeeper gave him keys without any strange looks. "Ok, Mr. James, Room 5, on your left upstairs."

Harry nodded in response under his hood and climbed up the stairs to his room. To his discomfort, Hedwig was perched by the windowsill, studying him. Harry took off his hood and murmured, "Hedwig, you can't stay here or else they'll find me. I'm sorry. They'll take good care of you at Headquarters." She gave him a forlorn look and Harry stroked her feathers. "I promise to send you some Owl Treats, old girl." He kissed his fingertips and brushed them on her beck. Hedwig in turn nipped his fingers affectionately.

Harry watched her fly out the window in a sweep of lovely white feathers and felt the pit of unhappiness burrow into his stomach. He fell asleep that evening, into a dreamless void.

In the morning, Harry sulked down into the front of the Leaky Cauldron to seat himself in a nearby broken chair, hidden under the cloak. He listened to the other wizard's conversations. Two young witches were talking about what color dressrobes would be best for a Ball they planned on attending. A rather large group of twelve wizards were arguing about the results of a Quiddich match between England and Germany. A witch nearby was looking at the _Daily Prophet_; a short headline on page six caught Harry's eyes. He stood up and asked her, "May I take a look at that?"

The owner of it, a grizzy woman in dire need of a tissue, shrugged and handed it over. Harry read to himself:

* * *

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**The Boy Who Lived...Dead?**

Ministry officials have declared a seventeen-year-old boy dead at the scene in the Muggle Street at eight o' clock last night. The Daily Prophet staff has not been able to get a chance to take a good look at the body and Ministry will not let out any further information on the situation. But they have confirmed that the death was murder from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, who is indeed alive...** see page 14**

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Harry didn't need to read the rest. He knew who had died. A name slipped into his mind so effortlessly. He whispered to himself, "Neville."

The witch muttered, "First it was some rubbish about the Nameless, now this." She blinked her crusty yellow eyes at him as his confusion registered on his expression, adding, "Eh, there has been some rumors going around that You-Know-Who is seeking the object called the Nameless. Rubbish...in my opinion. No one has seen the bloody thing in centuries... why would it exist now...?"

Harry was intrigued by what she said but didn't press the subject further. He gave back the newspaper and wandered out into Diagon Alley, still vaguely pondering about the subject of this 'Nameless' thing. Harry placed on his hood and walked into Magical Menagerie, looking for Owl Treats. He took a good bagful and went up to the front to pay when Harry saw in a cage a small black snake with a curious shape of a red _S_ on its head. Harry paid for the treats and asked the woman in the shop, "Excuse me, what kind of snake is that?"

She drew out her black spectacles, staring at it pointedly, "I don't know actually... someone dropped it off a month ago. I do know it's extremely poisonous and quite wild." Harry peered at the snake as the woman went to talk to another wizard about the flaming jeweled tortoises.

He said to the snake, _"Hello, I'm Harry."_

It looked up with beady black eyes and murmured skeptically, _'You can...talk.'_ Harry smiled.

_"Yeah, listen, I know you're a wild snake and probably don't want to stay coped up here in this shop. Would it be okay if I bought you and got you out of here?"_

It slithered up to him, a faint hint of an foreign accent tinged to its hiss. _'How about if I help you with ssssomething and you can ssset me free. We could make ssssome sssort of a deal?'_

He nodded, _"Alright. It's a deal."_ Harry called over to the bespectacled woman who was feeding the invisible cats, "...Excuse me? I'd like to buy this snake, please." She eyed him and his worn cloak.

"Are you sure? It's a pretty dangerous sort of snake. I noticed how venomous the fangs were when it attempted to attack me the first day it was brought in."

Harry nodded slightly, now feeling a bit unsure of his decision, "...I'm sure." The woman rang up the snake and Harry paid for it with six Galleons.

The snake slide up his arm and wrapped itself around his shoulders cozily.

_'Do not worry, Harry... I promissse not to hurt you if you do not hurt me. Thanksss for ressscuing me. I am Keandra.' _

He asked curiously, _"You're a girl?"_

She responded with a hissy laugh, _'Yessss, you're a bright one.'_ Harry chuckled, leaving, as the door closed with a _thud_, and the woman viewed after him with an arched eyebrow.

As Harry made his way down the cobblestone street, he asked Keandra, _"So, how can you help me?"_

_'That isss for you to dessside, Harry.'_

_"Well, I'm trying to find some information about a friend's death and something called the Nameless."_

The snake cooed in his ear, _'Death isss never a pretty sssight. I have sssseen a lot of it in my time, although I am ssstill young.'_ He snorted.

_"Tell me about it."_

Keandra murmured in admiration, _'I sssensssse a power in you, Harry... it isss dangeroussss yet fierce and good.'_ He didn't speak up and the snake said suddenly, _'There.' _Keandra flicked her tail towards the entrance of Knockturn Alley. _'That isss where we need to go. I do not know why, jussst a feeling.'_

_"Do we have to?"_

Keandra said amused as Harry frowned at the sign leading into it, _'I ssssmell fear.'_

He explained shortly, _"Bad experience."_ She cuddled against his cheek_._

_'Don't worry, Harry... if anything ssshould happen, I'll protect you.'_

_"Why are you being so nice to me, Keandra?"_

_'Becaussse you are the mosssst trussstworthy human I have came in contact with in a long time, and I know you will hold your promissse. I have ssseen your heart and it issss true. Alssso Harry, not all sssnakes are evil. Sssome of usss jusssst like being left alone.'_

He smiled, _"Thank you,"_ and began walking into the darkness of Knockturn Alley. They wandered through the streets, past many strange and dirty shops.

_'Ssso, why are you out here alone? You are young. Don't you have a family?' _The snake asked Harry curiously.

He said dispassionately, _"Not anymore." _

_'My owner could not handle me ssso he got rid of me and I ssstayed in that pet sssshop. No one wanted me.'_

Harry felt pity for her. 

_"Aren't you glad I came along?" _

She whispered thankfully,_ 'Very.' _

They walked down further into the dark. Keandra said immediately,_ 'Wait. Sssstop. In there.'_ They stood beside a poorly lit shop, the sign in the front had been ripped off and a streak of white paint was there instead. The windows were broken and the door had no handle on it. Harry eyed the door warily.

_"We'll find the answers in there?"_

_'Yesss, a fortune teller livessss here. Sssshe will tell usss what we need.'_

Harry pushed the door and they entered a dust-filled empty room. He coughed, glimpsing at purple-drape curtains shielding the entry to the back room, embroidered with gold and silver stars. A voice materialized from behind them, "Enter, ye who seek knowledge." Harry pulled aside the curtains and was hit by the strong scent of rose oil and tangerine. Slightly overwhelmed, he staggered over to a gold clothed table. Self consciously, he pulled his hood tighter over his face.

A woman observed him from one end of the round table. Her hair was a midnight blue and fell to her knees in wild curls. The fortune teller observed him some more with small chestnut-colored eyes, saying loftily,"Sit, wary traveler for I am Madam Treelily, and let me read your aura."Harry did so.

"Actually-"

Madam Treelily took his hand, interrupting, and examined his palm, "Hmm... much despair and grief. A bout of illness hovers... bravery and cunning lingers. Two highly different traits... yet they mesh..."

He pulled away, getting a keen feeling that this woman could be related to Professor Trelawney in some way. "Ma'am... I was hoping that you could give me some information about something called 'The Nameless' and a friend's death." Madam Treelily flicked her wrist and the jasmine candles on the next table suddenly lit up.

"My dear boy, I do not tell stories-" She broke off, staring at his neck as if entranced, "Is that... it tis', dear boy... you have a rare _red S_ snake. Very rare... I've been looking for one for such a long time-"

She reached for Keandra and the snake lunged, hissing enraged, _'Get away from me, you ssstupid woman!'_

Madam Treelily backed away pouting and Harry asked inquiringly, hoping to distract them, "Why have you been looking for one?" The fortune teller folded her hands on the table.

"Because, ignorant boy, I need one for a potion I am making."

"...I've got a deal for you."

Madam Treelily inclined over. He could see the gold spots in her brown eyes, "If it is about the snake... I'm listening."

"If you tell me what I need to know then I'll let you get the venom from her."

The fortune teller asked, sounding almost child-like, "How do you know it's a girl?"

"Uh... I just know."

Madam Treelily smirked, her rouge lips flattening and making her look older than forty. "Ah, I see. We have a agreement." She shook his outstretched hand and sat up straight, closing her eyes. "I must implore the spirits for assistance." After a few seconds of total silence, the woman asked in a voice unlike her own, husky and deep, "What do you need to know about the Nameless?"

Harry shivered, suddenly feeling very cold.

"Er...the history... er, why Vol- _You-Know-Who _would want it, and if it has any connection to my friend; Neville Longbottom's death?"

Madam Treelily made a throaty moan and said with her eyes still closed, "According to the legend, the Nameless was made in the time before Merlin. Created in the darkest place where no wanderer may travel, created by a formidable sorcerer. He used magic that was not good and pure, but powerful and grave. He produced it to destroy his enemies when the Time came to War. The sorcerer destroyed all the villages that lived nearby within seconds. Around the Middle Ages, it was said that Merlin found it and hide it in the most remote place on Earth. It had a most dreadful power. Whichever hands dealt the power; good or bad; it was only meant to destroy. The Nameless was said to burn the flesh right off your bones at the touch, and to cause the utmost evil inside yourself to emerge head on. Only one could control it, the descendant to the sorcerer."

Harry muttered, "_Voldemort_."

The fortune teller did not flinch at the accidental slip of the name. "He-Who-Must-Be-Named is in quest of the Nameless, to destroy Harry Potter. He seeks it to finally obliterate him. Whether he can control it, I cannot tell. The outcome between this War I cannot see. About this boy in the paper, Neville Longbottom, is he?" Harry nodded and Madam Treelily let out a deep breath, "He was murdered by You-Know-Who, and it was the Killing Curse. The boy knew something important that the Dark Lord did not want him to reveal. A simple Memory Charm could not have erased it. It was something that would have given Harry Potter an advantage in this War, even if the You-Know-Who had gotten it, he might have not been able to use the Nameless. Only the true descendant can control it."

"So Voldemort isn't the true heir?"

The woman shook her head. "I do not know... the spirits have left us." Her eyes opened and they looked usually tired. Madam Treelily sat silent as Harry cagily set Keandra down.

"Be careful with her."

She took up the snake and held her over a jar, opened the snake's mouth, and firmly, yet gently, pressed the back of her head. The fangs were exposed and several drops of clear venom fell into the jar. Madam Treelily let the snake go, Keandra traveled up Harry's arm and wrapped herself snugly around his shoulders once more. _'I told you I'd be helpful.'_

Harry got up and smiled at the woman, "Thanks for your help."

The fortune teller grinned crooked, white teeth, as Harry turned to leave, she spoke, "Have a nice day. . .Mr. Potter."

His heart was pounding and if she had seen his face, she would have seen that it had grew a few shades of red. Harry exited the dusty building; stepping into the darkness of Knockturn asked out loud, _"How did she know my name, Keandra?"_

The snake said, sounding a bit weary, _'Ssshe knowsss all.'_

Harry talked to her as they left the shadows.

_"She reminded me of Professor Trelawney at Hogwarts."_

Keandra hissed in disgrace, _'That old bat couldn't ssssee the future if it came up from behind and bit her in the assss.'_

Harry cracked up, clutching his sides in pain.


	8. Situations

**gryffxchick**: Yep, the HP world is going crazy! Thank for reviewing :)

**Krys**: Hey, don't make fun of the all-knowing snake! She'll become handy in the future... -whispers- _You didn't hear that. _Anyway, you will find out! Thankies!

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Chapter 8: Situations

They made their way down the meandering path of Diagon Alley, Keandra curled up in his hood, remaining out of sight. As Harry crossed another path of the cobblestone street, a sign caught his full attention. It read boldly: **_Weasly's Wizard Wheezes_**.

Fred and George's new shop, the one he'd probably never get a chance to visit if he didn't take the oppurtunity. He looked around to see if anyone was watching him and entered, just wanting to get a good look at it.

It was a brightly colorful shop with many kinds of tricks and jokes piled up on the walls, many people were already inside and gazing at everything with eager faces. Harry saw in the distance Fred and George dealing with the customers, looking snazzy in some new dragon scaled suits. With a chuckle, Harry left and made a mental note to go inside sometime and buy some of their Canary Creams.

He made his way into the Leaky Cauldron and straight away saw Lupin and the other Aurors talking to Tom and some other wizards in the bar.

He stiffened and tried to blend in with several drinking cloaked figures, Harry panicked.

_They're looking for me...they'll find me..._

Keandra hissed, _'What isss it Harry?'_

He answered lowly, _"Some people are looking for me. I need to get out of here fast."_ The grizzly woman who had given him the newspaper, spotted him and stated, "Those Aurors after you? Want some help?"

Harry nodded and she burped, getting up, "Follow me." They edged their way into the background and emerged into the middle of the bar, Harry was close enough to hear the conversation between Lupin and the innkeeper. Remus Lupin asked calmly, "So, you haven't seen a boy come in here? About seventeen?"

The shorter man looked through some papers in his hands, "We had an African wizard, he only stopped in for some firewhiskey. A younger witch who hasn't came back, and someone named James come in. This James fellow sounded older, he was covered up in a hood, seemed a might bit suspicious to me."

Lupin looked interested, "Did he come in around the time of nine last evening?"

"As a matter of fact, he had."

The grizzly woman shouted, Harry abruptly froze, "Hey, he's over here!" She had led him into a ring of Aurors on purpose, he was too startled to be angry and made a break for it. Lupincame shouting after himand Harry pumped his legs faster, running out the back and tapping the bricks; finding that his hood had been ripped off by the witch, exposing his identity indefinitely. Harry swore under his breath and the entrance of Diagon Alley unexpectedly shut before his eyes.

He pounded on the brick wall and knew immediately that all of the Aurors were behind him; they had him cornered. Harry did not turn around and heard Lupin say, "Harry, it's alright. You don't have to run."

Harry whispered, "I do," and turned to face him. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks glanced at him curiously.

Keandra asked, rearing up into plain view and making him jump because he had forgotten that she was there with him, _'Ssshould I attack?'_

He said to her, _"No, I know them. They're friends."_ The Aurors gaped at him.

"Why did you run away Harry?"

He answered Lupin genuinely, "To escape...from everything. Do I have to go back?" The man nodded, "It would be best." Harry looked up, "I have to make a stop first, somewhere near a forest."

He rode on with Tonks on her broom, she looked uneasy at the snake around his neck but it didn't distract her from riding. They flew into the early evening sky, hiding in the clouds and Harry found a large sprawl of grassy land below. He shouted over the rushing wind, "Down there!" Tonks and the others took him down and landed mildly on patches of weeds. Harry got off the broom and gently uncoiled Keandra from his neck, setting her down. She gazed admiringly at the field then back at him, _'Thank you Harry Potter, for everything. I do hope our pathsss crosssss again one day.'_

Harry knelt down, _"I hope so too Keandra. Goodbye and thanks." _

The snake crawled up to his hand and her tongue touched his skin, as if it was an offer of kiss, Keandra finally disappeared into the tall pasture.

Lupin strolled up beside him and Harry smiled vaguely, "I think...that was the nicest snake I'll ever encounter in my life." The gray peppered man touched his shoulder and Harry looked down, standing up. Without another word, they all got back on their brooms and flew to Headquarters.

At the entrance, Mad-Eye Moody greeted them, cleaning his fake eye, "Damn. . ." Harry saw the black ceiling of Grimmaulds Place, the curtained portrait of Mrs. Black, and felt a sense of misery devastate him again. He climbed up the stairs, reaching the dim hallway when a funny squeak caught his hearing and someone threw themselves at him with a great force.

Harry looked around wildly and realized it was Hermione who tackled-hugged him. She squeezed him hard and backed away, tears rolling down her face. Her brown eyes were tinged with red and her hair was more bushier, it looked like as if she hadn't slept. Hermione stifled, "Oh Harry, everyone's been so worried! We saw the newspaper...and you were gone..."

He didn't know what to say to her, and that's when Harry saw the bruise that marked her face, dealt by his hand.

Tenderly, Harry cradled her chin with his hand and glimpsed at the contusion. He breathed softly, " 'Mione, I'm so sorry."

"It's ok Harry."

He let go and spun away, wanting to crawl under a rock and die, "No, it's not." Harry looked back at her, feeling tears but none spilled. His face twisted into a look of desperation and anguish, "It's this place...it's...everything. I can't deal with this Hermione. Any of this."

A hand touched on his shoulder and Harry turned to Ron, who stated, "But you have us."

Hermione spoke up, "Ron's right. You aren't alone, we're here for you."

Harry shook his head, acknowledging Ron, "I'm sorry I hit your girl mate." Ron's ears went bright red, his face as well, "Um...it's alright." Harry's head jerked to Hermione, whose cheeks were flushing pink.

He grinned and patted Ron's shoulder, "Thanks." Harry grinned at Hermione, "Thanks to you both. I don't know what I'd do without you." She smiled back, wiping her face and they all ate in Hermione room; reminiscing about old times. His friends didn't bother him about what he did at Diagon Alley and Harry was relieved by that. A week passed and Ginny's funeral came rolling around the bend. Harry tried to have the stomach for it, but when he saw Ginny's body; he promptly turned away and emptied it of his one-fourth eaten breakfast. Harry felt awful for the rest of the day.

Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasly brought him back to Headquarters. They got him into bed and the short red-haired woman took his temperature. She felt his forehead and murmured, "A fever. Best you stay in bed Harry dear. I'll be here all day, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." She fed him some potion.

As Mrs. Weasly left the boys room, Ron commented, "She needed a good excuse to leave. You might have given her a favor." Hermione elbowed his side sharply. Harry was too weak to get up but whispered, "Sorry...about getting...sick." Hermione sat down beside him, "Don't be, it was too soon. You weren't ready. Save your strength." She brushed back his bangs motherly but Harry couldn't see her, he had slipped into darkness -_It was snowing lightly outside a window, he was standing in the corridor of the second floor at Hogwarts, a thin wash of white sunlight glowed in the semi-dark hallway._

_A girl leaped out of the classroom across from him, her dark red hair flying and she twirled around, her Hogwarts robe billowing around her ankles. Her face laughing and her almond- shaped emerald green eyes sparkled with a special glimmer._

_Following closely out of the classroom was a boy, he scooped her up and spun around, his hazel eyes gleaming. His untidy hair was a bright blue and stuck up in many places._

_"I'm gonna kill you for that Evans."_

_The girl laughed and messed up his dyed hair, "Oh, hush, it will come out eventually."_

_Harry watched as his fifteen-year-old parents kissed once and James Potter set Lily Evans down. She gazed into James's blue blue eyes and whispered, "How do you do it?"_

_He frowned, giving a similar confused look that Harry would have, "Do what?"_

_Her voice was so soothing, "Make me feel like we're the only ones in the world. The only ones who are the happiest." James smiled, Harry saw a real smile on his father's lips, "I don't know. Maybe we are?" Lily kissed him again, drawing her arms around his neck, she breathed, "You are amazing Potter. I don't even know why I'm so attracted to you...am I making any sense?" He responded, "Perfect sense."_

_Harry couldn't believe what he saw seeing, his teenage parents weren't fighting. They were actually acting like they could stand the sight of each other. Even better, a love-struck couple. At that moment, Harry wished nothing more then to stay watching this scene forever._

_Sudden agony spread over him and he winced, as his vision spun._

_Harry clutched his head panting and it stopped. He was standing somewhere else, the Riddle House. In the room where Ginny was killed._

_The fireplace roaring, the Dark Lord glaring in his chair at the traitor Wormtail. Voldemort spoke coolly, "Did you get the news from Lucius?" The bald man nodded meekly, "Yes, My Lord." _

_"Well?"_

_"My Lord, He says that the search has continued, they are still trying to find the Nameless." The Dark Lord spoke composedly, "I wanted it, before Harry Potter can get his filthy hands on it." Wormtail bowed, "We will find it, My Lord." Voldemort's eyes sparkled, "The War." _

_Another wave of extreme pain took Harry and he screamed -_

He awoke screaming hoarsely; his vision blinded by tears.

Hermione and Ron were near him, he could feel them, shouting for help. They were holding his hands and the agony was unbearable, this was worse then the Cruciatus Curse by a thousand times. It felt as if someone was ripping him apart from the inside very slowly and excruciatingly. Harry couldn't throw up because he was screaming too hard.

Several figures appeared over him and held him down, he knew this was it; he was going to die like this. A gray blur was washing over him, a canopy hovering over him. Through his withering and yelling, his friends were forced to leave the room and the Aurors had came in.

Harry saw something flashing, the rims of half moon spectacles, in his eyes. Albus Dumbledore's face passed in and out of his sight, and a murmuring rang in his ears.

Something he couldn't understand.

The pain began dissolving and toneddownuntil it had left him completely. Harry laid limply on the sweat soaked sheets, breathing in tight rasps and his arms occasionally gave a twitch/ The old man's face was gone and the ceiling of his dark bedroom grew clearer, though distorted because his glasses were slightly tilted.

Harry couldn't move so Lupin fixed them. He placed a hand on his head protectively, Harry mumbled, "I thought...I was dying." The gray streaked Marauder frowned, "The Headmaster saved you Harry. If he wasn't here, I don't think you would have made it."

Harry asked feebly, "Where's Ron and Hermione?"

"They had to go, they were very worried for you. I think you need some rest before--"

A voice interrupted, "It would best if Harry told us what he saw before he forgets." Dumbledore stepped into the room wearing dark plum robes, Harry tried to sit up, "Professor..." Lupin helped him and Dumbledore popped a lemon drop in his mouth, "I need to talk to Mr. Potter alone Remus."

Lupin looked doubtful, still shaken by the fact by the state his best friend's son had been in but a smile from Harry reassured him that he'd be fine.

As Remus left the room, Professor Dumbledore gave him a placid look, "I know that you are tired Harry, this only take a moment. What did you see?"

"I was at the Riddle House...Voldemort was talking about getting the Nameless. He wanted to get it before I could."

The Headmaster nodded distantly, Harry asked quietly, "Was I really close to dying?" Dumbledore's wrinkled face deepened, "Yes, I'm afraid so. Your scar took all of the energy you had,so that you would have been vulnerable to death." He prolonged, "Harry, I would like you to take Occlumency lessons again..."

Harry shook his head weakly, "No, not with Snape-"

Dumbledore smiled, "No, not with Severus, I will find someone else but I want you to continue Occlumency this year." Harry nodded, willing to go through with it as long as the Potions Master wasn't going to teaching him. He got up, "I expect that you will be resting before coming down to dinner."The Headmaster winked, closing the door behind him. Harry gaped, he expected Dumbledore to go into a long explanation of what happened to him and what it all meant.

He had noticed a certain change in the old man in fifth year and throughout sixth, Harry found his new behavior very strange. He let his mind wander and a sleepy grin appeared on his face, the memory of his parents being happy together brought a warm spread of happiness soaring in his heart.

- - -

Evening rose when Harry awoke from his lengthy nap, he remembered his new happy memory and grinned undauntedly. Know what he saw, it had brightened him. The fact he had been near death or the gloom that surrounded Headquarters could not dampen his spirits. Harry raced downstairs into the kitchen where his friends sat worried about the table.

Mrs. Weasly nearly dropped her wand in alarm when she was cooking the food at the sight of him.

Harry embraced a stunned Ron and Hermione, seating at the table between them still grinning. Ron's gleaming eyes widened, "Harry, is everything ok?"

"Yes Ron, everything is. . .wonderful."

Harry looked up perkily, "When's dinner?" A voice behind him declared, "Now." He turned his head to Darcie who gave him a smirk. From behind her followed Tonks, Lupin, and Mr. Weasly. They all sat down and Mrs. Weasly served out the food, Darcie asked politely as she struggled with an large bowl of potatoes, "Molly, do you want some help?" Mrs. Weasly's face darkened, "No." The dark haired woman persisted gently, "Are you sure?" The shorter woman growled, "Yes."

Darcie's brow burrowed and Harry turned away from them, he looked at Hermione to distract himself, "You haven't said a word Mione, what's up?" She muttered an inaudible sound and buttered her roll, Harry asked again, "Hermione?"

She muttered again and he decided to leave her alone, perhaps she wasn't in a good mood.

Harry looked at Ron who wasn't paying any attention as usual and he finished eating. After a few minutes of listening to Mr. Weasly converse on about jinxed dressers, he turned back to Hermione. She didn't look too well, in fact, Hermione looked a little flushed and her eyes were glazed. Harry said concerned, "Hermione, are you alright? Is something wrong?"

She ignored him and her face slowly grew anxious, her eyes rolled upwards, and she passed out onto the floor. Harry and Ron shouted her name.

The adults rushed over and firmly escorted the boys out, Harry cried out, "What's wrong with her?" Tonks reassured him, "She'll be fine, go upstairs to your room."

"But-!"

She snapped, "GO!" They flinched, never seeing Tonks act so strictly, and retreated.

Ron was pacing their room as Harry sat down on his bed, the red-head boy exclaimed, "What do you think happened?" Harry placed a hand on his head, mumbling, "I don't know." Ron stopped pacing, glancing at Harry as he murmured, "This is just as bad as second year." Ron blinked, "I saw her convulsing, like she was having a fit..."

Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "I - I'm going to bed."

He burrowed under his covers and heard Ron shout, "That's it? You're going to go to sleep when our best friend could be dying or something?" Harry's face darkened and his voice was icy, "Goodnight Ron." A slammed door echoed and Harry knew that Ron had left, he thought of his happy memory, forcing himself to concentrate on it.

-----

**A/N**: I know, it wasn't much of a chapter...argh, I'm so out of it!


	9. Compassion

**gryffxchick**: Yes, I am lol! Finally, I am trying to get back in the swing of things! Thank you for reviewing!

**Krys**: -laughs- I like your story. Aren't all my stories...whatyoucallit...spastic...what the hell does that mean anyway? -looks it up- Oh, it means like compulsive...I still don't get it. LOL.

**Ashton Rushing**: I'm guess I know why I didn't get a lot of readers because I did kill Ginny. -cries- I really didn't like doing it but I had to. Thank so much!

**A/N**: Bonjour all! I am updating and this one is short, since I haven't written HP in a little while. We get to see a different side of Ronniekins.

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Chapter 9: Compassion

A _swoosh_ awoke Harry from a dreamless sleep. Hedwig perched on his wardrobe mid-flight, hooting once softly. She landed on his shoulder when he came to his feet. Harry smiled, "I missed you Hedwig. I'm sorry for leaving, will you forgive me?"

She nibbled his ear lovingly and he supposed that meant a _yes_.

Harry looked at Ron's bed and saw that it was empty, he frowned, he was hoping to talk to him about last night.

After showering and changing into some robes, he stepped out into the hallway. Just down the hall, Hermione emerged from her room, yawning softly into her hand. His eyes widened and he pulled her into an abrupt bear-hug, swinging her around in a circle, _"Hermione! You're okay!"_ She backed away, smiling, "Of course. I was just going downstairs for breakfast--"

She blinked alarmed, reaching out for his arm as her legs gave out from under her. Harry wrapped an arm around her back and she murmured weakily, "Or perhaps I should go back to bed..." He bridal-style carried her out of the hallway --she wasn't even heavy-- and helped her sit up on her bed, Harry was dying to ask her about before but she didn't look up to it. Hermione gave her a pat on the shoulder and he took it as a sign to leave, closing the door behind him. Ron came up from the stairs and caught him leaving her room.

He asked concerned, "Is she ok?" Harry shrugged.

"Somewhat."

The red haired boy said apologetically, "I'm sorry for acting like such a prat last night. I shouldn't have opened my big mouth." Harry smiled, "You were scared, I was too." Ron smiled back and asked again, "Is she awake? Do you think I could...?"

Harry stepped aside, "Go ahead."

The redhead grinned, slapping his arm as Harry went ahead downstairs. When he reached thelaststair,Remus Lupin appeared beside him, a mysterious smirk playing over his features, "Harry, come with me. I have a surprise for you." Harry wasn't so sure about surprises but followed him nonetheless into a room in Headquarters, one that that sort of reminded him of a Muggle garage.

That when Harry saw it...a giant motorcycle...Sirius's flying motorcycle. Memories of his night ride as a baby crept into his mind as he cautiously ran a hand over the smooth cool metal.

Lupin smiled wider, "I knew you'd like it. It's yours." Harry jerked his head.

"Really?"

The gray streaked man nodded, looking just a teeny bit teary-eyed, "Sirius would want you to have it." The teenager began feeling pity for the man who lost his best friends and embraced him for a moment. Lupin sniffed, wiping his eyes, "I'm being stupid..." he clapped Harry on the shoulder, "You're a good kid Harry." Harry turned away, going into the kitchen for some breakfast. Afterwards packing for tomorrow's trip to the Kings Cross Station. Screaming came from downstairs, along with the shrieking of the portraits, he curiously stuck his head out and listened.

"HE CAN CHOOSE FOR HIMSELF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

"YOU'RE JUST UPSET AT ME BECAUSE THEY CHOSE ME TO BE HIS GODMOTHER!"

"_FILTHY BEINGS, HALF-!_"

"HARRY'S DOING FINE WITHOUT YOU INTERFERING INTO HIS LIFE!"

"_FILTH_-!"

"I AM _NOT _INTERFERING MOLLY, I JUST WANTED HIM TO KNOW HE HAD SOMEONE TO TURN TO!"

"HE CAN COME TO HIS FRIENDS OR ME, HE DOESN'T NEED MORE CONFUSION TO BUILD UP, HE JUST LOST SIRIUS FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!"

"YOU MEAN, _MY BROTHER_! JUST BECAUSE I WASN'T HERE, DOESN'T MEAN I DIDN'T LOVE HIM SO YOU CAN---!"

"_DIRTY BLOOD BEINGS, ROT-!" _

Angrily, Harry slammed his door shut on the noise, gravely tempted to scream back at them that he didn't anyone to decide what he could or couldn't decide for himself. He finished packing and resolved to eat dinner upstairs, turns out Ron and Hermione had the very same idea. They ate and talked before they all fell asleep in the boys room.

Harry dreamed that night, he dreamed that he was standing Hogsmede, and thatit was snowing outside. His friends were waving to him in the distance and calling to him. He couldn't move; they were getting excitedly anxious, waving their gloves furiously. High-pitched laughter surrounded him and a green light engulfed his friends, they were falling onto the snowy ground with mirth frozen on their faces. Hideous laughter remained on their lips and someone spun him around, it was Neville and a growing bright white light shielding him. His mouth moved but Harry couldn't make out the words-----

The restless teenager awoke to someone moaning and sat up. Beside him was Ron in his pajamas kneeling beside Hermione. He held a cloth to her damp face as she mumbled and moaned in her sleep. Harry crawled over only to have Ron stay his hand from touching her.

"Don't...just..."

He let go of his hand, "Let her sleep."

Harry looked on amazed as the redhead calmly watched over her, "I've never see you like this Ron."

"Like what?" Harry blinked.

"I don't know how to explain it. . .more. . . . .nurturing somehow."

Ron put the cloth away, "Hard to believe I was doing this to you a few days ago."

The boy explained when Harry burrowed his brows, "I don't know...I heard you talking in your sleep the night Ginny died. You looked really horrible and I stayed awake the entire night to makesure you didn't hurt yourself by rolling out of the bed or something." He chuckled softly, and added, "I'm sorry I got upset with you that morning. I was still in shock."

Harry's eyes bugged,he had never saw that side of him before. Ron had always seemed like a ignorant and thick-headed bloke. Harry didn't know he could ever be benevolent, that's why he and Hermione didn't date. He thought about it as Ron stroked her head, if only she knew how much he cared, maybe they'd finally get some guts and ask each other out. Harry snorted smiling, thinking about how great a couple they would make if the barriers were knocked down for once.

"Well, don't stay up too late, mate. We got school tomorrow," Harry warnly clasped his shoulder a moment before heading to bed.

Ron's question didn't startle him, "Did you get a chance to ask anyone what happened to Hermione last night?" Harry shook his head no as the redhead sighed.


	10. Train Ride

**Krys**: Oh, thanks for explaining that for me. LoL. :-) No, she's isn't.

**Fuzzyhead**: Thanks for reviewing! Sorry, it was necessary mind you I'm not happy I did.

**jnsdfsdfhblsdf**: Interesting name.

**anna a.k.a the strange**: Thankies!

**hpsk8ergurl**: -cackles-clears throat- Why, you ask? Hmmm...several reasons.

**A/N**: WHOOHOO, another chapter. Kinda short...but I'm working on that, alright? You'll be seeing one of my favorite minor charries and a little hint of R/Hr. But is that the real pairing...hmmm? Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Train Ride**

One word described that morning.

Mayhem.

People were running around as early as four to get ready for the trip to Kings Cross Station. Harry was among the many who stifled back lazy yawns as he dragged along his things and trunk down the stairs of Grimmauld Place. As he set thethem down by the front door, Mrs. Weasly shouted over the commotion of everyone and the portraits, "RON, HARRY, HERMIONE, YOUR N.E.W.T'S AND LETTERS ARE HERE!"

They dropped everything they had in their hands and took their letters off the kitchen table, ripping them open in a hurry.

Harry heard Hermione squeal, "All O's!"

He congratulated her and looked upon his exams:

* * *

_**Charms**: Outstanding _

_**Transfiguration**: Exceeds Expectations_

_**Herbology**: Outstanding_

_**Defense Against the Dark Arts**: Outstanding_

_**Potions:** Exceeds Expectations_

_**Care of Magical Creatures**: Outstanding_

_**Astronomy:** Exceeds Expectations_

_**Divination**: Acceptable_

_**History of Magic**: Acceptable_

* * *

A long sigh of relief was let out at this, he was that much closer to becoming an Auror. 

Ron and Hermione stole his results out of his hands and peered at them pryingly, they lookedup approvingly and Ron also seemed satisfied with his own N.E.W.T results.

Next came the Hogwarts letters.

Harry slit opened his letterand felt something cold touch his fingertips, he dug deeper into the envelope and pulled out a badge that read: **Head Boy**.

His mind began to reel...this couldn't be right. He wasn't Prefect in his fifth year or sixth, how could he get the Head Boy badge? Harryturned tohis friends, "This can't be right." They glanced at him curiously and heheld upthe badge, Hermione began screaming at the top of her lungs and hugging him tightly, "HARRY, YOU'RE HEAD BOY! OH MY GOODNESS, I'M HEAD GIRL! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!"

He pulled away from her, furrowing his brows, "But Hermione...I wasn't Prefect at all, Ron was. How come he isn't the one with the Head Boy badge?"

"I don't know but aren't you excited at the least bit?" Harry shrugged.

"I guess. I just think they might have made a mistake." She took his Hogwarts letter and read it to herself, Hermione shook her head, "It says that the badge belongs to you, it's written in MgGonagall's handwriting." He found that she was right, maybe it wasn't a mistake.

Harry glanced at Ron's reaction and couldn't find a trace of jealous in his face, satisfied, he shoved it in his pocket, "Alright."

Hermione pulled it back out, "Wait, we have to tell Lupin and everyone." Harry argued.

"I'd rather not Hermione, I don't want everyone to make a big deal out of it."

She rolled her eyes as he took back his badge and placed it securely into his jean pocket. Mrs. Weasly poked her head into the kitchen and told them to get a move on, they tucked away their letters and pushed their trunks into a van that Tonks had obtained from a next door neighbor. After a half an hour, they had arrived at the Kings Cross Station and boarded the Hogwarts Express. Harry saw new and old faces as he found the Head Compartment near the front of the train. Comfortably seating himself, Hermione poked her bushy head into the compartment, "Harry, I'm going to go check on the Prefects. Do you want me to get you anything when the food trolley passes?"

He forced a smile, "That's ok, you go. Er, is Ron coming to sit with us?" She nodded.

"Yes, he's...somewhere."

After she left, Harry realized that they weren't suppose to check on the Prefects until an hour after the train leaves, and that Ron had been gone for a long time.

Maybe... a bit too long.

Smiling, he shook his head and looked intently out the window until they both came back looking perky and a little ruffled. Harry cleared his throat, "You two have fun?"

Ron coughed, "Wh-What?"

"Nevermind," he watched Hermione's cheeks glow.

Later on the redhead and the girl got into some argument or another, Harry didn't care enough to figure it out and turned away snickering, his eyes passing over the compartment door's window. After two seconds his nerves exploded into a frenzy of shock and his emerald eyes grew as big as dinner plates. Staring at the other side of the window, pressing insistently into the glass pane...pale lips moving but no noise sounding...Sirius Black's face.

Harry sprang for the door, whipping it open to find no one standing on the other side but a few second-year girls down the hall, paying for something on the food trolley. Ron and Hermione's voices came to a halt as they started staring at him confused.

"Mate, what is it?" Harry continued looking around wildly.

"Sirius...he was just here..."

Hermione exchange a worried and sympathetic look to Ron. Harry stopped and murmured, "You didn't see him? He was right there, I saw him press his face against the window." They didn't say anything and he insisted, "I swear, I saw him. He was trying to tell me something!"

Ron said slowly, "Harry, I know that Sirius's death hit you hard..."

"I SAW HIM! HE WAS HERE!"

Other students looked out of their compartments nosily, a few people actually got into the halls and continued to stare at him like he was some sort of freak show. In the distance, the Slytherin's were sniggering. Hermione took Harry's arm, trying gently to pull him back into their Head Compartment before he really lost his temper.

"Come on Harry...we'll talk about this in the compartment."

"NO, I AM TELLING YOU, I SAW SIRIUS! I SAW HIM!"

The crowd held their breath as he yanked himself away, falling back against the train wall at impact. Harry felt his scar burst into pain and he clutched his head, groaning.

"Harry?"

His own name was the last thing he heard before a river of black washed over his eyes.

- - - - -

When Harry came to, he felt thefamiliarthinness of the Hogwarts Hospital-Wing sheets. His glassesperched on the bedside beside him, Harry tried to sit up but a figure above him said softly, "Stop fussing. I just want to be sure you can sit up without injuring yourself." This voice wasn't Madam Pomfrey's, ithad younger and sweeter temperment to it. Harry slipped on his glassesto get a clearer picture ofa dark plaited girl in a nurse uniform.

"Susan...Bones?"

She raised an eyebrow, "I didn't think you'd remember me."

"Where's Pomfrey?"

Susan dusted off the front of her robe, "She's out for the night, I've been attending to you. Sort of a...Healer-in-training if you will." She saw the expression on his face and sighed knowingly, "Don't worry Harry Potter, I know what I am doing. Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let just anyone take care of you." Susan asked primly, sitting down in a chair nearby, "Do you remember anything that happened tonight?"

"Well, I remember seeing Si...er, someone's face pressing against my compartment window and when I told my friends, they didn't believe me. Then my scar started to um...burn."

She nodded, "Common symptom...well, for you anyway. Your friends, Ron and Hermione, have been in and out of here all night. I had to literally _drag them_ out so everyone else could have a rest. I have another question, Professor Dumbledore wanted me to ask you, were any visions of some sort?"

Harry shook his head causing young Susan to eyeball him, hunching forward. Her dark blue eyes flashed once, the pupil shutting and he felt a plucking in his head. The girl blinked calmly, her eyes going back to normal, "Everything seem to be in order."

He asked, rubbing his head, a little annoyed by the strangeness he felt, "What did you do?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I suggest you get some rest Harry Potter. Classes start tomorrow, your schedule is on the stand, and I'll see you in the morning."

She smiled breifly and spun away, the dark plait flapping against her back.

Harry rubbed his temples dumbstruck, laying back down and falling asleep.


	11. Peculiar Coincidences

**LMDGlUV4EVA**: Oh. Well, good to know I'm doing good. Thanks for reviewing.

**hpsk8ergurl**: They are, I just haven't focused on it much but I'll do something. It's really hurting you that she's dead, isn't it? -gives her a lolly bouquet- Feel better please! Thank you so much for the comments!

**A/N**: I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, a whole bunch of things are going on! R & R, if you please :D**

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**Chapter 11: Peculiar Coincidences**

In the morning when Harry woke up, Susan Bones was checking his temperature and gave him some pumpkin juice. She let him go early and he left the hospital wing, going down to the Great Hall. The Gryffindor tableas usual was watching him the entire timeand he got a bit angry by their attention.

Ok, so he acted a little mental, big deal. Harry knew what he saw.

Ron and Hermione sat down beside him and began soliciting how he was, Harry responded that he felt fine and it was probably just the stress about coming back to Hogwarts. They bought it.

While Harry was eating, Seamus Finnigan shouted loudly about an article in the _Daily Prophet, _he heard him say, "--Said that the dragons were seen flying straight over a Muggle town!"

"What about dragons Seamus?"

The obnoxious teen said a bit more louder, "Some bird wrote an article in the Prophet about loose Welsh dragons. A few were seen over a Muggle street and the Ministry had to Obliviate all of the Muggle's memories."

Harry burrowed his brows. Dragons set loose? How could this have happened, more importantly, where the hell was the Ministry when this happened?

Hermione shook her head and Ron said with a mouthful of toast, "Percy's old girlfriend wrote the article."

The discussion of the article died down and breakfast ended. New classes started and Harry went to History of Magic first, and ended up fast asleep right in the middle of it along with half the class.

Once the two hours were over, Harry asked his friends, "So I missed the Sorting Ceremony?"

Ron nodded, "Yeah, several new first years in Gryffindor. They seemed happy to be in our House and real excited about wanting to meet you."

Harry snorted, "Last year, they were frightened to death of me. Now all of a sudden everyone wants to talk? Fat chance."

They continued into Potions where Snape was surprisingly absent from his teaching and it was taken over by Professor Grubbly-Plank. She was strict but fair and luckily did not favor any House. To the Gryffindors unfortunate luck, as usual, the 7th year Gryffindors were with the 7th year Slytherins. Hermione whispered to Harry as Draco Malfoy made a rude gesture at them, "Ignore him." So he did.

When lunch rolled around, Harry hurried down the second floor corridor when a pearly white ghost emerged from out of nowhere and passed through him.He dropped his things and shivered uncontrollably, that was so _cold_.

A placid voice spoke, "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you." The woman ghost began floating away and Harry thought she seemed familiar. "H-Hey, aren't you the Ravenclaw ghost?"

She looked back at him, her silver petticoats glowing, "Yes. And you're that Harry Potter everyone talks about. I am Sarah Emmer, Heiress of Ravenclaw, descendant of the one and only Rowena Ravenclaw," The ghost finished dramatically, curtsying to him, "How can I help you?"

Harry figured if he was going to ask about something...

"Do you know about something called the Nameless?"

She looked thoughtful a moment before replying, "Nope. Never heard of it."

He shrugged. Worth trying.

Thewoman ghostsat down gently in mid air, "I _did_ heard about this dragon article. The Ministry has really let us down lately." Harry muttered under his breath.

"I'll say."

"I believe the girl who wrote the article was a former Ravenclaw. Lovely child, brilliant reporter." He blinked several times, Ron had said that Percy's old girlfriend had wrote it. Harry blurted out, "Penelope Clearwater."

She smiled, seeing that this was another chance to extend her knowledge, "Yes, dear Penelope. I remember her well, she was one of my favorite--"

He interrupted, "Do you know much about her?"

The ghost looked befuddled by his interest then said casually, "No. You would want to talk to that screaming ghost, Moaning Myrtle. She knows more about her then I do." Harry gaped slightly, this was becoming an fascinating day quick. Instead of going to lunch, Harry went to the out-of-order girls bathroom to find Myrtle flooding the bathroom again and sobbing piercingly.

"Myrtle! I need to talk to you!"

She looked down at him from the ceiling and stopped crying, appearing beside him with a grin, "Hello Harry. You came to visit me." Her face turned hard, "You haven't in a long time."

Harry tried to be polite, "I'm sorry Myrtle, it's been a busy three years. So... I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about a Ravenclaw by the name of Penelope Clearwater." She frowned.

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Did she ever come visit you?"

Moaning Myrtle looked down at him depressed, "She came in here every other day,writing about something in all these notebooks she had in private; figured no one would go looking for her in there. Once in a while she'd greet me but would ignore me every time..._like I wasn't even there_!"

She screamed out the last word and began bawling, Harry sighed, "Is that the only thing she did?"

Myrtle calmed down, sniffling, "She'd mention your name a couple of times, the Headmaster's, when she was composing. I think she was writing an article or something."

One word came into Harry's mind.

_Spy._

For all he knew she probably was and got her information from Percy because he was her boyfriend and hecould be easily manipulated like that.

This stuck in his mind as he leftforthenext class, his stomach pleased to get some nourishment when dinner came around the corner. Hermione clucked her tongue at him in a similar manner that Mrs. Weasly would as he ate, annoying Ron and he glared. As night fell and everyone headed to their Common Rooms, Harry walked out of the Great Hall, heading forMgGonagall's office. Hermione had told him earlier that they would be meeting there to assume their responsibilities of Head Boy and Girl.

He pinned on his badge and some of the Gryffindor girls, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, eyed him and his badge; giggling like the schoolgirls they were. After turning red and avoiding deliberate glances, Harry entered the Head of Gryffindor's officeto discoverHermione already seated in a chair, straight as a soldiar and ready to learn. She flashed him a momentary smile as he sat down beside her, facing Professor MgGonagall.

Sharp eyes looked at him from behind thick square rimmed glasses, "You, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger have been chosen to be Head Boy and Girl by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. You have gotten your letters and have been informed of this." Hermione nodded quickly and Harry continued listening, "There are a few things I would like to inform you of, you both will be sharing a Head Dormitory, with a Common Room downstairs, there will be separate bathrooms and bedrooms so we would not want to worry about invasion of personal space. When the torch lights are lit in the corridors, that is your signal to check up on the Prefects to see if they have done their jobs of patrolling the halls. You can take away points for misbehavior of students and Prefects but do not abuse your privilege."

She looked pointedly at Harry and he stared right back emotionlessly.

"I think that's all you'll need to know. Any questions?"

Harry looked at Hermione who replied, "No, Professor."

MgGonagall instructed them to follow her and they did, up the fifth floor to a painting of wealthy man and woman. They asked stiffly, "Password?" The strict witch straightened her robe, "_Buckbeak_."

The two teenagers shared a look as they stepped into the Dorm, it was much roomier then the Common Room and decorated in Gryffindor colors for the sake of them. MgGonagall pointed to the staircase nearby, "If you go to the left up the staircase, there will be the Head Boy Dormitory, on the right will be the Girl. I'll leave you two to arrange your things upstairs."

As she left, Hermione put her hands together with a big grin, "This should be fun."

Harry shrugged indifferently and went to check out his red and gold room with a four postered bed and Hedwig's cage sitting by the window. He sat down beside her and let Hedwig out, she gave him a grateful look and nibbled on his ear sweetly. Harry laughed andpeered out intoto the clear starry night, peacefully enjoying it until Hermione knocked on his door.

She poked her head in, "Harry, the torches are lit."

He responded, not looking at her, "Go on without me."

Hermione glowered, her voice raising, "Harry Potter..."

He made a face and breathed, "Fine." She let him step out before asking, "What's got you in this mood?"

"I dunno...maybe I'm cranky."

Hermione said prudishly, "We'll sleep later, right now the Prefects need to be checked on." Theymarched downto the fourth floor corridor and Harry questioned, "Where are we suppose to meet them?" Hermione actually looked nervous, "I don't know. MgGonagall didn't say."

"Ok, you go down that corridor and I'll meet you around the other way." Harry darted off down a deserted hallway and after a few minutes of leaving Hermione, found the group of students wandering down his way. He called out, "You lot! Over here!" They walked over and some of them ogled at him, the others had expressionless faces. Judging by their badges, they were the Prefects he had been seeking. Two out of every House, boy and girl.

Harry inquired, feeling a little stupid, "So, er, did everyone check the corridors...?"

The Slytherin boy Prefect sneered, "Duh. Bloody hell, I thought the Head Boy was suppose to be smart, not a witless git." Both Slytherin Prefects snickered and Harry's temper rose a notch, "How about I take off 50 points from your House for your smart mouth then we'll see who's the witless git?"The Slytherin boycrossed his arms, "You can't do that."

Harry got closer, causing the rest of them to back away, "Like hell I can't."

While the Slytherin sized him up, Harry remembered what MgGonagall said and backed away.

_'Damn, how did she know?'_

"Did anyone happen to see Hermione?"

A brunette Hufflepuff male asked boorishly, "Who the devil is Hermione?" The blonde Ravenclaw in the group answered serenely, "She has lots of bushy hair and an absurdly narrow mind." Sixth year Luna Lovegood did acknowledge that she knew Harry, and of course, was looking different from the pack. Her blue and bronze tie slipped around her waist like a sash and her Prefect badge pinned upside down on the sash. He hadn't noticed her until she had spoken up.

Harrywatched them all shake their heads and ordered, "Alright, you lot can go to your Common Rooms."

They disappeared into the night and Luna looked at him once before leaving with the rest of them. He took off around the cornerandcouldn't find her. Harry reached the forbidden third floor corridor and wasn't thinking of going inside, he didn't think she'd go traveling through there out of good sense--until he saw that the torches were lit inside.

A strange chamber door stood wide open for the world...inside Hermione standing gawking _in front of the Mirror of Erised_.

Her brown eyes were wide with irrepressible marvel and Harry grabbed her arm, purposely looking at only her, "Hermione, get away from that!" She didn't move, continued staring spellbound.

"Come on! You shouldn't be near this thing!"

Harry forcibly dragged her out of the third floor corridor and she spoke up at last when they reached the wealthy painting, "I saw...I saw..."

He knew that look in her eyes, the same hungry look that he had when he experienced that mirror first hand. Harry pleaded, "Forget about it Hermione, it only shows you what you want, not what's going to come true." He wanted to know what she saw but then saw tears slip down her face. Harry whispered the password to get inside and carefullyled her inside, "Go to sleep."

But he knew she'd be up. Harry tended to the fireplace, waiting. Somewhere around one in the morning,he finallycaught her trying to sneak out and explained his experinece. She understood, but didn't tell him what she saw and he didn't force it out of her. He didn't think he could.

Nevertheless, he stood up the rest of the night...just in case.


	12. Old and New Faces

**A/N**: Yes, so I redid this chapter. It's a bit broken and rough but basically the idea I had last time. I hope it suits my readers fine. Many thanks to the reviews of Chapter Eleven. -wink- Enjoy.

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Chapter Twelve: Old and New Faces

"Harry, mate, alright there?"

Harry Potter snapped his head up from his sleeping position, hurting his neck, "Wh- OW!"

Ron looked at him from across the Gryffindor table, "MgGonagall's assignment with the frog spawn? Did you finish?" Harry shook his head _no _and watched as their bushy headed best friend came walking to the table with her many books, a bright smile on her face. "Good morning Harry, Ron."

The red head inclined his head distantly and Harry did the same, observing her as she reached for a plate and began the slow task of eating her breakfast. Hermione certainly looked better this morning and Harry was glad that his hopes had came true. They finished up and made their way together to the first class of the day; Defense Against the Dark Arts. No one had told them who was teaching it, not that they really needed the class.

DA or Dumbledore's Army, that was founded in fifth year, was still currently running smoothly in the Room of Requirement. Everyone was getting fantastically better even Luna, the club was still a secret from everyone else.

The trio made their way up the Defense classroom, the room was dark and the shutters were closed. It was decorated in black, silver, and green with Slytherin tapestries hanging around the room. Standing beside the large teacher's desk was no other then Professor Severus Snape. He fluidly oozed his way over and towered over them menacingly.

Harry couldn't believe his eyes, he thought the man had disappeared off the Earth, so he wished.

This couldn't be happening…

The Potter boy looked over at his friends who were just as shocked as he was, Ron was doingthe MgGonagall impression, Hermione on the other hand was doing a marvelous gasping fish impression.

The tall man said coldly, "Get in your seats before all three of youreceive detention." He whipped around with his black robes in a billow.

Harry sulked to his desk, he still couldn't believe his awful luck. The class was a mixture of seventh year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, which was very unfortunate for them because Snape happened to be in a very bad mood. Finally, waiting foran hourthat seemed like months, class ended. As they sat waiting for Snape to demand for them to get out of his sight, he snarled, "Your homework will be to write a ten foot essay on moonstones and their history of uses, the Gryffindors will write a twenty."

Ron was outraged, he said bitterly, "That's not fair!"

The greasy haired man heard him and snapped, "Ten points docked from Gryffindor for that outburst Weasley and you will stay tomorrow for detention so we can discuss the true arrogance of our tongue and idiocy of your mind." A dark red covered the tips of Ron's ears and he dismissed them all, both Harry and Ron were furious and Hermione attempted to calm them as they stormed down the many staircase.

Ron had a few choice words that made Hermione scowl at him. She remarked, "Shouldn't you to be playing Quiddich instead of sulking?"

Both boys shouted, "Shit!" and raced out into the sunshine of the grounds with her screaming behind their departing backs. They ran so fast that some first years passing by thought they were just a blur of black.

When Harry and Ron finally had it to the Quiddich, they nearly fell over. Not from exhaustion, but from shock.

Standing the afternoon sun, dressed in gold and red, was Oliver Wood. Harry fought to keep his escaping breath and gaped, blinking stupidly, "Oliver? What…?"

The heavily accented man grinned at him broadly, "Harry, good to see you!" He gave him a manly hug and grinned wider, Ron sputtered, "What are you doing here?"

"For my training, you bloke.I'm taking over the position of referee for Madam Hooch and helping the younger players," he winced, "She caught a nasty bout of something, of course, I'm not alone on the job."

Oliver called out over his shoulder, "Oi Chang, get your arse over here!"

Emerging from the stands was the tall good-looking Asian, Harry's stomach dropped at the sight of her. Cho Chang smiled seductively at Oliver, "What bad things are you saying about me Wood?"

He chuckled, "Not too much. Cho, I think you know Ron here and Harry Potter."

Her narrow dark eyes pierced into him and she said with the same flirtatious tone, "Yeah. I do."

After that conversation, she kept an annoying close eye on him. The Gryffindor Team practiced for the first match of the season, with Oliver and Cho helping out. Harry had seen Dennis Creevey try-out and was surprised to find he had natural athlete abilities unlike his older brother Colin and much more easier to be around.

When practice ended, Harry was headed out of the showers when he saw Cho waiting for him outside, her straight black hair flowing past her shoulders. She had on that creepy smile, the one that Harry uncomfortable, "Hello Harry."

She walked up to him and took his hand, "I've missed you."

His voice came out harshly, "I haven't." He took his hand back and beganwalking awaybut she stepping in front of him, "There's Hogsmede in the winter. Would you…I mean…" She blushed under his gaze, "Would you like to go with me? A date, like old times?" Harry felt aggravation overcome him, he frowned at her, "No, I don't want to go on a date with you. We tried this before, remember? And you ended up using me," when tears sparkled in her eyes he said even more exasperated, "Stop it, crying isn't going to make me change my mind. You screwed with my feelings, I don't need a girlfriend, sorry. I'm fine with how I am now."

Her sadness was gone as fastas it came, "Your loss," she glared at him before taking off in a fury.

After a second, a hand touched Harry's shoulder and Ron was standing beside him, looking proud, "Good job mate. She deserved it." Harry strolled back to the castle with him.

The Feast began at seven and Hermione met them down at their table, they had a pleasant evening together.

Around the end, a random girl came up to the Gryffindor table when the Feast ended. She asked Hermione hurriedly, "Hey, do you have the notes on the parts of automobiles? I heard you were the person to ask." Hermione dug into her schoolbag and handed the girl some parchment, "Here."

The girl with the boyish cut hair nodded, "I've give it back in Muggle Studies, thanks." She disappeared into the crowd of students and Hermione noticed that both of her friends were staring at her confused, "What?"

Harry questioned, "Who was that?"

"Oh, her? Samantha Fawcett."

They continued talking as they made their way up the stairs. Ron looked like he was deep in thought, "Fawcett…I've heard that name before…"

Hermione said conversationally, "She's in our year, Ravenclaw. You two would have something in common Harry." He lowered his eyebrows, "Huh?"

She looked uneasily at him, saying in soft tones, "Well, her parents were murdered by Voldemort as well."

His bright green eyes stared off into space, "Really."

Ron blurted out, "So did the Bones and Prewitts but no one makes a big deal out of that." The red head stopped talking when he saw that they were becoming quiet. Once again, Hermione wandered off from them and Harry sat restlessly by his window, stroking Hedwig's feather as she nipped his ear affectionately.

He glanced back into the inky night, when something flashing caught his eye. There was a light coming from the Astronomy Tower, a shadow passed over the glowing source.

Harry's adrenaline coursed in his veins and he got up, running down the stairs of the Head Boy Dorm where he met Ron in the identical Common Room. His friend had been studying when Harry had came trampling down the steps, he looked up alarmed, "Bloody hell, what are you doing?"

Harry dragged him to the window and pointed at the tower, "Look Ron, the Astronomy Tower. I saw someone in the window, no one is allowed there after dark." The freckled faced boy asked slowly, "What are you getting at?"

"With all these weird things have been going on, I'm not gonna miss an opportunity to find out what's happening."

Ron stayed silent a moment before he said excited, "An adventure, excellent."

With the help of Harry's invisibility cloak, they sulked into the night. They edged around the shadows and Mrs. Norris, but couldn't prevent bumping into a certain someone. The cloak slipped off on collision and Hermione, with her lit wand held high above her head, asked angrily, "What are you two doing? Are you getting in trouble again, because I swear---!"

Ron clamped a hand over her mouth and Harry whispered urgently, "We're checking something out, if you want to come along, just shut up."

She escaped Ron's hand and waved a finger, "I'll go, only because I care for your safety." Somehow, the three of them managed to fit under Harry's cloak and after going through a few corridors, Ron and Hermione were already arguing.

She squealed, "Ron, that was my foot!" He retorted, "Then stop stepping on mine!"

"I am not, your big feet are in the way and you keep stumbling!"

"I _don't_ have big feet!"

Harry finally couldn't take it, he hissed crossly, "Will you both just-"

A feeling washed over him, his words were lost. The air got very cold around him and a familiar terror tugged at his heart.

"I think we should get out of here," he said dismayed.

Hermione asked frightened, "Harry, what's wrong?" Something, like a shadow, passed the hallway's entrance. He bellowed, grabbing their hands, "GET OUT OF HERE! RUN, RUN NOW!"

The trio ran, horror-stricken and those moments were a haze of fear as they raced from their presumed deaths.

When Harry finally stopped, too tired to run anymore, he found that his cloak was clutched in his fist, and that Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen.

He shouted, "RON! HERMIONE! RON!"

The only answer was the echoing of his screams.

After some heart pounding minutes, he could hear Hermione's distant shrieking.

Harry took off after them, drawing out his wand from his robe pocket. He came around the third floor corridor, in the distance he watched as a rather large crowd of shadows circle his best friends. They were cowering, almost motionless and Harry could see that Ron was trying to keep them off.

Harry immediately recognized the shadows, they were dementors.

The cold was coming from them, it was giving the raven haired boy unshakable shivers. If he didn't act fast, they were going to die. The thought of them leaving him….it was unbearable.

Harry felt an heated anger fill him, replacing his panic.

The boy started running, he got a good few feet before roaring at the top of his lungs, _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

His silver stag erupted from the tip, chasing the dementors and fighting then with it's strong legs and antlers. When the evil beings were out of sight, the stag disappeared as fast as they had came. Harry suppressed the fearful memories fading from his head and fell onto his knees, beside Ron, whos face was pure white. Harry asked tightly, "Alright there?" The Weasley boy nodded quickly and his voice came out in a murmur, "Where's Hermione?"

They turned around to see the girl's body lying still, just ten feet from them.

Harry couldn't breathe properly when he went to her side and checked for signs of life, "Ron, help me." The red head cradled her head, "Is she…was it the kiss?"

Harry found a pulse and said with a forced smile, "She's fine. She's alive. Oh thank-"

He bowed his head, finding that his limbs were sagging with relief.

Harry spoke up after a moment, "Come on, let's get her to the Head Dorm." Carefully, they carried her to the Common Room look-alike and set her gently on the couch; they were much to tired to be climbing anymore stairs. Harry said dimly, turning to Ron, "Well, I'll see you…"

He paused, surprised to see something wet in Ron's eyes. The tall red head broke down, sobbing into his large hands.

Harry tried to comfort him awkwardly, "Ron...Hermione's going to be ok. You don't have to get upset."

"Harry, that's not it," he said miserably, "I saw her. I saw her in my head. When those goddamn things touched me, Ginny was in my head. . Her eyes…Oh Merlin…her eyes. They were dead. No one ever cried for her, not Fred, not George, not Dad. They told me to be strong…I'm not strong Harry..I'm not."

Ron cried harder and Harry instinctively embraced him, letting him release his sorrow. He tried to soothe him, "Something horrible happened and it hurt you, you don't have to keep it inside like you do."

Hefinally broke away and Harry saw that he couldn't make it alone that night, he offered him the other couch, "We'll go tell Dumbledore in the morning, no one here is in the state to being going anywhere." The red head burrowed under a blanket thankfully, sniffling and soon his snores were bouncing off the walls.

Harry sat in a chair, watching his friends contently.

Hewould do it the entire night if he could…if he wasn't so drowsy.


	13. Midnight Stroll

**Krys**: You're telling me! I'm so stressed! LoL! You'll see how I make of Hermione. -laughs at the idea of Ron as a appetizer-

**LMDG1UVR4EVA**: I am, I am. It's just taking a while. :)

**Countingsheep123**: Really? Cool. Thank so much for the review.

**A/N**: Sorry, I redid this chapter cause I screwed up this one. Ok, here's the good one, I apologize for the mix-up!

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Chapter Thirteen: Midnight Stroll

Looking at the ceiling, Harry found himself waking up on the floor of the Head Common Room. He was eagle spread on the carpet and his glasses sat perched on his nose.

Thoroughly confused on why he had fell asleep on the floor, Harry pushed his glasses up and sat himself into an upright position.

Then he remembered the previous evening.

Harry got to his feet just as Hermione and Ron stepped into the Dorm, talking light-heartedly to each other. They laid their eyes upon him and Harry ran across the room and hugged them tightly. Ron patted his shoulder, wheezing for breath, "Great to...see you too...mate."

Hermione pulled away, her eyebrows raising nearly up to her hairline, "Harry, are you ok?" He smiled widely, "I'm...I'm just glad you two are alright. Last night, I didn't think I'd be talking to you both again." Understanding filled their faces and the bushy haired girl smiled back, it almost looked forced but Harry didn't notice, "Yes. I'm glad too."

She began digging into her knapsack asHarry asked Ron, "Did you go see Dumbledore?"

"Yeah, when I told him, he didn't really say anything. He looked angry and let me go. It was a little scary."

Harry caught sight of Hermione pulling out colorful wool hats and groaned, "Oh no Hermione, I thought you gave up on that." She gave him a look, "Shut it. These are for Dobby and the rest of the House-Elves, it is terribly freezing where they sleep. I got Dobby's permission to give it to them, it has nothing to do with my organization; which I might add is still going strong." Ron commented, "Right, Hermione, right."

She elbowed him a little too sharply and began walking out, Ron asked Harry as her back disappeared behind the portrait, "Damn, she got strong. Should we go with her?" Harry answered, "If you want to." The other boy shrugged, "Might as well, see you mate."

Ron jogged out of the Head Dorm and Harry went to breakfast in the Great Hall, the Saturday morning passed by reasonably.

When Harry made it to lunch, the Gryffindors were running round, talking excitedly. He went up to Dean who wasn't one of the gossipers, "What's going on?" The darker boy said with a half annoyed tone, "Seamus landed himself in St.Mungos, he screwed his assignment in Potions and Snape couldn't uncurse him. Some of us are taking the Floo Network to see him, want to come?"

Harry shrugged, "Alright," feeling half annoyed himself.

Seamus always did come off as a prat.

He followed Dean, Lavender, and a few fifth years to a classroom with a large sprawling fireplace. Standing close by waiting for them was Ron, Hermione, and a few other Gryffindors. They all Flooed to the inside area of the wizard hospital and Harry(who hated Flooing) was the dirtiest, and the one that fell on his face when he alighted.

Ron and Dean heaved him up to his feet as Hermione repaired Harry's glasses. She handed them back to him and he said his thanks, placing them on.

Lavender took a look at the floor guide, "We want to go upstairs."

The teenagers trampled past a wizard who was hiccupping mice and an unconscious witch in a oversized bubble. They went up the stairs and made it to the floor that read _Potion and Plant Poisoning_. Harry was last in line as they prepared to reach Seamus's bed. The boy looked up at them with a slightly amused grin, Harry almost fell back at the sight of him.

The poor Gryffindor was hairless, eyebrow less, and completely covered with blistering festering rashes.

Ron asked, making a face, "What the bloody hell type of potion were you making Seamus?" The grin left his face and Hermione gave the red head a good smack on the head, "Excuse Ronald, Seamus, how are you feeling?" He nodded, "Alright. They're working on finding a countercurse."

Seamus turned to Lavender devilishly, "Although, a kiss would definately make me feel loads better Lav." She rolled her round eyes, "In your dreams Finnigan."

"How did you know?" he countered. Harry was among the few who laughed, at least the fella's spirits were up.

As the others left for some treats, Harry excused himself to find the tearoom. But seeing how Harry had only been to St. Mungo's a few times, he couldn't remember which way to go. Trying to find a nearby floor guide, Harry wandered away and finally found a door, leading to a floor. He stepped inside and regretted it immediately.

It was the closed ward, sitting nearby the door, in some chairs, were Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom. Neville's parents. They were in long white robes, staring blankly at his face. Their faces were pale and their eyes seemed too big for their faces. They looked much worse then last time. The man's head fell forward, and he slumped slightly in his chair.

Harry murmured, moving away, "I'm...er, I got-"

Mr. Longbottom continued to stay motionless while Mrs. Longbottom steadily got out of her chair, locking her gaze at the boy. Those dark eyes were empty and so bottomless that it made Harry's stomach tremble in helplessness.

He froze as she reached out and brushed her cold fingers across his arm, saying in a voice so soft Harry hardly heard it, "_James._"

His bright green eyes widened. She bent her skinny frame forward so that her thin face was inches from his, "_Will follow to death. Harry Potter. J-James and Lily...friends-_" She began gripping his arm forcefully and brought him closer, whispering even softer words that Harry couldn't make out.

Finally, her grip loosened enough for him to yank out of and Harry sprinted out of the closed ward, out into one of the corridors. Harry rushed back to Seamus's room and Hermione looked up at him as he entered, her eyes blank, "Harry. Get your tea?"

He responded, "Yeah. I'm going back to Hogwarts, see you."

She said coolly, getting up, "No rush, the rest of us are leaving as well. Goodbye Seamus."

The rash-boy waved and Harry once again followed the group in and out of the Floo Network; landing back at Hogwarts. Harry wanted a little time alone to gather his thoughts, and ended up locking himself in his Head Boy Dorm.

He sat by his window, stroking Hedwig's feathers quietly. The Gryffindor considered putting up a keep-out spell but he didn't have the energy for it.

The memory of his visit to the Longbottom's troubled him sincerely.

The night passed overhead, and suddenly a hand tapped his shoulder, "Deep thoughts Harry?"

Jumping, Harry spun around to the gray streaked Marauder. Hedwig bolted and flew to her cage, roosting on top of it crossly. Harry let out a sigh, "Professor, I didn't hear you come in." The man smiled easily, "Harry, I've asked you to call me Remus countless times. Do mind me, please."

The teenager snorted in humor and Remus Lupin sat down on the edge of the window beside him, "How are you doing? Ron and Hermione said ever since they've gotten back, you've locked yourself up in your room." Harry shrugged, "Don't have a lock," and looked back out his window. The werewolf grinned, "I know something that will cheer you up."

Reaching into his robe pocket, he pulled out the Marauder map dramatically.

The green eyed boy blinked, "I-I thought it was lost..."

"No, I kept it. Don't let me catch you in the halls alone, alright? Dumbledore and the rest of the professors had a conversation with the portraits today, about three students roaming the corridors at night and being attacked by dementors."

He stared at him expectantly and Harry gave in, "Yeah, but we didn't know dementors were there, honestly. Didn't Dumbledore know already though?" Remus exclaimed, "It turns out that there had been minor attacks all this year, kept quiet, but the one you encountered made the situation more serious then before. Harry, be careful."

The teen nodded, resisting to make a sarcasticcomment and the man gave his shoulder a squeeze before leaving the room. Harry spent the last few hours of the night, watching Hogwarts through his map, eyeing the people moving throughout the castle.

Around the fifth floor corridor, a dot moved slowly and deliberately. What got Harry's attention was a question mark hanging around it.

The map didn't have an answer for the question: Who was walking down that corridor?

Harry burrowed his brows; _'That's odd.' _

He got up off his bed and went out on a midnight stroll, against Lupin's wishes. He knew he shouldn't but for all they knew, it could be someone dangerous. Like a dementor or even...Voldemort.

Harry wanted to find out, being the headstrong too-curious-for-his-own-good type.

He moved past the third and fourth floor corridor, to the hardly lit fifth. He felt a chilling rush of air push past him and it blew his map down the hall. The skinny boy went after the map and bent over to pick it up, grasping his fingers around the parchment.

The second he looked down at the map, two things occurred.

Harry saw the question mark dot beside his dot and he was shoved against the marble wall; his Invisibility Cloak, Marauders map, and wand clattering to the ground.

Harry felt all of the air go out of his lungs as his back hit the solid wall unkindly, he coughed and straightened up. Two hands clutched his front collar and yanked him up. Squinting his eyes, Harry saw a hooded figure was right in front of him. Sort of short, and the air surrounding it was crackling with anger.

A low muffled voice emerged from behind the heavy hood, hiding the person's identity, "What the hell do you think you're doing out here? Are you dense?"

Harry whispered, not letting any fear slip out of his mouth, "I was going to ask you the same thing."

The hands clenched him constricted, throwing him against the wall again, and Harry's head bounced on the marble. He moaned, setting a hand over the back of his head, "Ow! _Bloody hell_!"

One of the slender hands covered his mouth roughly and theit whispered coarsely, "You, of all people, should know the dangers of wandering the corridors alone at night. Do you even care about what people would feel if you were found dead or _worse_, in the very hallways of Hogwarts? Do you know of how much importance you are to everybody?"

His bright green eyes fixed an intensely fiery gaze, "Oh yeah, I'm the goddamn Wizarding Savior."

He didn't prepare to be strike _hard_ across the mouth, he crumpled to the floor, clutching his bleeding chin. The hooded figure crouched down, robes swirling, "I'm not talking about that, asshole. I mean your importance and loyalty to your friends. Did you ever once think of your friends or anyone else's feelings? All you ever think and care about now is yourself, bitching about not wanting to defeat Voldemort and whining abouthow life sucks for you because of your damn teenage mood swings. Here's a newsflash, you _are _the only hope the world has, so suck it up. Your arrogance and temper tantrums are tiring, Harry Potter. If I catch you out here again, there will be hell to pay. And you'll be the one cashing in."

Breathing hard, Harry asked, "Who are you?"

The hooded figure stood up, "I'll be watching you, know well." Before it disappeared, Harry saw something silver flash on the figure's neck.

After several moments, he got the feeling back in his legs and numbly go back to the Head Dorm. Harry couldn't make it up the stairs and curled up on one of the couches. The words that stranger told him hit him hard. Harder then the punch in his jaw.

He couldn't think about this. As the fire began dimmer, Harry's eyes flickered away. He soon realized that the silvery thing on the figure's neck, it was a necklace. And the silvery thing hanging from the end of the necklace, was a daisy charm.

The embers of the fireplace cooled and total darkness consumed.


	14. Halloween Season

**LMDG1UVR4EVA**: I have checked them out and they are great! That's a idea, I'll think about it, ok:) Thanks for the review, I'm continuing!

**Krys**: I can't say if you're right or wrong so I'm staying quiet. LoL! If Harry did, I'm suresome fan girlwill take care of him. LOL. Have you updated your story, cause I want MORE!

**Countingsheep123**: Haha suspense! Mwaahaa. ;)

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Chapter 14: Halloween Season

"I am _telling_ you, Halloween is cursed for us!" cried out Ron.

The trio was on their way to Charms class when the discussion popped up, originating from the Weasly boy's mouth.

Hermione said briskly, "Don't be silly Ronald. Halloween is not cursed for us." Harry spoke up, "I think he may be onto something." She raised an eyebrow and Ron continued, "Thank you Harry. Hermione, think about it. The first Halloween for us at Hogwarts, we all nearly got killed by a mountain troll!"

"May I point out that it was your carelessness that caused that?"

The red head made a face at her cheekiness and Harry said with a nervous smile, "Did we mention how sorry we were for that?" She smiled back, "I know that Harry, it was a big coincidence."

Ron fumed, "Coincidence, my _arse_! What about second year?"

"What about second year," contradicted Hermione.

"When we went to the Deathday party for Nearly-Headless Nick and got caught with a frozen Mrs. Norris, Filch was about to kill Harry!"

Harry frowned, "True...but it didn't really involve us all..."

Ron looked at him crossly, "Who's side are you on?" The raven haired boy moved away from him and Hermione made a exasperated noise in her throat, "What else?"

The red head made a excited grunt, "Hmm...how about in third year when Sirius nearly scared the shit out of everyone, I thought he was going to stab me with his knife." Ron was careful to say Sirius's name in Harry's presence. The other boy argued, "But Sirius wasn't trying to kill you."

Ron nodded, "Right, but that was still scary. Anyway, fourth year Harry's name got pulled out of the Goblet of Fire and led to the events where his life was at stake! What about that Hermione?"

She shook her bushy head and rolled her eyes.

"In fifth year...well, ok, Umbridge was there the entire time _but_ it made Halloween worse."

This time, Hermione _and_ Harry rolled their eyes.

The red headed boy insisted, "And sixth year? That incident with Harry and the giant squid?" Harry grinned, "Oh yeah, I remember that." Hermione looked at him appalled, "You were nearly drowned!"

Harry shrugged innocently, "I got out of the lake alive, didn't I?" Ron smirked, "Hermione wouldn't move from your side in till your temperature was back to 98 degrees." She gave him a funny look, that clearly said for him to back off the subject.

To ease the tension, Harry joked, "Ron, instead of saying Halloween's cursed for all of us, it should be Halloween's cursed for Harry."

That got a laugh out of them and soon they were sitting at their desk in the Charm's classroom, in all smiles. But soon, the smiles were disturbed by the project partner choosing of one Professor Flitwick. It wasn't Ron and Hermione's although they did have quite a shouting match during the class period. No, it was the pairing of Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.

The Gryffindors and Slytherin prepared for war to erupt.

Draco, of course, asked impatiently for a new partner but the poor naive teacher refused his request. Harry tried the same thing and was threatened to have House points taken away.

So started the class project, and the tempers rising. Draco complained as Harry tried the spell, "Potter, you're doing it wrong."

The raven haired boy muttered, "Shove it Malfoy."

"What did you say Mudblood lover?"

Harry threw down his wand, "I said, _shove it_. Less you forgot that I'm Headboy and can take away ALL of your House points." Draco smirked evilly, "MgGonagall wouldn't let you. You'd be abusing your privilege." Harry wanted to yak, how did he know what she said?

Damn, that boy pissed him off.

"I don't care, 50 points from Slytherin."

Silvery eyes glared coldly, "You'll pay for that Potter."

"100 points from Slytherin."

Draco Malfoy clutched him by the robe collar, "That's it, I'm sick of you. Tonight, third floor corridor, I challenge you to a Wizarding Duel. And I'll be the one who walks out of there alive."

Driven by pure anger, Harry pushed him away, "I accept." Malfoy clenched his teeth and the rest of the time they worked separately.

By the time everyone left the room, Ron and Hermione asked Harry, "What happened?" He answered, "Nothing, just the same fights with Malfoy." Ron mumbled under his breath, "_Damn Ferret_."

The red head reached into his robe pocket and pulled out some wands, Hermione questioned, "What on Earth? What are you doing with those?" Ron burrowed his brows, "I didn't steal them Mione, if that's what you're thinking. Their fake wands from Fred and George's shop, I want Harry to have one."

He handed one over and Harry pocketed it, "Thanks mate."

As they made their way to the Great Hall, the Gryffindor ghost Nearly Headless Nick passed by happily, "Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione."

They chorused in unison, "Hello Nick."

Ron said suddenly, "Nick, since we'll be leaving soon enough, would you mind telling us a little story?" The ghost frowned suspiciously, "What kind of story Ron?"

"Maybe...about why ghosts exist here?"

Harry looked up interested, and Hermione looked suddenly perky at the idea of learning something new. Ron used that moment to beg, "Come on Nick, please!" The ghost man looked uneasily at them and let out a exhausted sigh, "Just don't go around saying who you heard it from."

Nearly Headless Nick gestured them away from the front doors and began speaking, "Over time, lots of wizards have wondered and tried to understand why ghosts stayed behind after they died. Mostly, the only who understand are ghosts themselves. There is a lot of causes, one of them is to seek revenge, another is to do a task they didn't get to finish when they were alive. But, all of those causes have a common goal. For some reason, ghosts like myself are bound to Earth in till they have been deemed worthy over moving on into the afterlife, that is, if they want to."

Hermione questioned, "Who decides who goes and who stays?"

Nick grinned widely, "Ah, that is the true mystery Hermione Granger. No one knows for sure who is in control."

Harry spoke up, "But, why aren't the ghosts in Hogwarts moved on?"

"Every one of us has our reasons. Moaning Myrtle needs to seek her revenge on bullies, which she hasn't exactly accomplished, I'm not even sure that she is aware of what her task is. The Friar and I is still here for one very simple reason," he smiled, "Because we like it here. I enjoy seeing the older students grow up and seeing the new bright faces."

Ron frowned, "What about Peeves?"

"Peeves is a poltergeist, and he too, decided to stay at Hogwarts. He enjoys his time here very much."

The red haired boy muttered, "Torturing the rest of us." Hermione nodded, "Thank you Sir Nicholas." The ghost took a short bow and they all stepped into the Halloween Feast.

Harry was distracted greatly and hardly ate anything, but spent his time thinking of spells to use against Malfoy for right after dinner and glancing down at the Slytherin table. His friends didn't notice and Harry did notice that the Gryffindors were giving him looks of encouragement and shooting glares at the Slytherins who were returning them. They must have knew about the duel, he just hoped none of them blabbed to his friends.

The Feast was pleasant, nothing exciting happened and Dumbledore had made a short speech about staying careful in the corridors. He made a keen look at Harry, Ron, and Hermione who looked away.

Soon, it ended and everyone made to leave to their Common Rooms.

Hermione said immediately to Harry, "Alright, we're suppose to meet the Prefects--"

He interrupted her, "Um, I have something to do right now. Go on without me." She grabbed his arm, squeezing it tightly, "No, Harry, we have to do our job." He looked down the way, saying, "Hermione...j-just take Ron or something."

Harry left her standing by the doors and walked upstairs to the third floor corridor, to his unnerved surprise, there was a great crowd of all of the Houses standing around to watch the battle. A small roar of approval rose when he appeared and some boos erupted. Inside the audience ring, was Draco Malfoy; waiting patiently.

Harry withdrew his wand from his robe and walked over, his face set as stone. Everyone backed away a safe distance as the two rivals stepped in front of each other.

"You ready Potter?"

He nodded and they continued staring each other down in till their backs were turned and they strode out several feet from where they stood.

Draco was the first one to face around and yelled, his voice echoing, _"Petrificus Totalus!"_ Harry dodged it quite easily and the fight began. They tossed simple yet effective spells at each other. When Harry had fallen, Malfoy was pointing his wand at his back and the raven-haired boy spun around, slamming a fist into his pale cheek. Draco stared amazed a moment then tackled him, both boys were kicking and punching each other with ferocity. Some of the crowd cheered and others stared in horror.

They ran to the opposite sides of the circle to get their thrown wands and Harry couldn't find his, he reached into his robe pocket and found that his wand was there.

Draco scrambled for us and Harry had time to defeat him, he cried out, "_Incarcerous!"_

The wand turned into a bouquet of flowers.

Harry gaped at the fake wand from Ron and said, "Damn you Fred and George."

His bright green eyes widened when he heard his name being shouted and a red spell flying straight at him. Still on the floor, he rolled over to his side as it sped to the crowd which decided to scatter. Harry got to his feet quickly and was defenseless.

Draco Malfoy's silvery eyes shined joyfully, _"Crucio!"_

As the word left his mouth, shrieks filled the corridor from the people who stayed and the spell sped from his wand.

A shudder ran up Harry's spine and he couldn't see; something had swelled up in his stomach, it was about to burst. Harry could hear screaming everywhere and he felt himself fall into his chest on the cold hard ground.

Everything was growing a little black and it seemed like a long time before he heard someone calling to him, Harry awoke in the arms of his best friends. Ron let a sigh escape his lips, his face was ashen, "You're ok." Hermione touched Harry's hand, "You gave us a scare Harry." He asked, confused, "Why am I on the floor?"

"Hermione and I heard that you were fighting Malfoy andcameinwhen your wand turned into flowers.Ferret said one of the Unforgivable Curses and you sort of froze up, your eyes got really big and the spell kinda bounced off you and went back to Malfoy. The Ferret didn't get hit by it and you fell down, and everyone ran for it. We haven't seen any teachers come by here yet, so we better get out of here before someone tells on us."

Hermione squealed, "Ron, Harry's in no condition to be running! He just did wandless magic for heaven's sake!"

Harry sat up, despite what his body was telling him, "Is that what I did?"

She dismissed his question, "But Ron is right, we should go before someone comes along. Ron, help me." Gently, they helped Harry to his feet and wrapped a firm arm around his waist, making their way out of the third floor corridor.

-

The Head Dorm was deathly silent that evening. All the doors and windows were shut securely and the stars outside shined softly. A door opened and a figure from the Head Boy Dorm crept down the staircase, with an armful of things.

Harry Potter made sure that the paintings were asleep as he passed through the castle, up to the Astronomy Tower.

Called him crazy, but every year, on Halloween night, he held a candlelight ceremony for his parents and their death. It was sort of a ritual in their memory.

Harry closed the trap door and set down the candles, blue for his father because he had a fond memory of James Potter in blue robes and the times when his father would take him out in a stroller on a clear day when Harry was a baby. Then, there was red for his mother because of her sparkling crimson head that had been seen so vividly in pictures.

Harry sat watching the flames jump as he went on his knees and bowed his head a moment, light washed over the darkened tower.

His eyes raised to the ceiling, "Hi Mum. Hi Dad. It's Harry, you probably thought I had grown out of this habit by now. I didn't. I hope you both are happy wherever you are. . ." He couldn't control the tear that had slipped free from his eye and smiled, "Don't be too hard on Sirius, he did his best and I couldn't have ask more out of him. I miss you all and wish you were here to help me---"

The boy sighed, more clear tears rolling down his cheeks, "But you can't. No matter how hard I wish it."

Harry picked up his parent's wedding picture as they waved cheerfully at him and blew kisses, a young Sirius in a tuxedo popped up behind James and pied him in the face. The slightly enraged bridegroom chased the troublemaker and Lily rolled her eyes to the camera, but was smiling amused.

This was his favorite picture out of all of them.

He placed it down and picked up a purple candle, that mixed both colors of his parents and whispered, "To you guys."

Before Harry could blow it out, suddenly, several Hogwarts professors burst into the tower with Dumbledore. They raised their wands and stared down at him perplexed.

MgGonagall in her lavender nightrobe barked, "Potter, what are you doing here?" Snape stood beside her, looking dismayed.

"I..I..."

They looked down at the candles and the pictures scattered on the floor and the Head of the Slytherin House drawled, "What twisted sacrifice are you planning Potter?" He said a little louder and tilted up his chin, "It's _not_ a sacrifice, I do this every year for my parents. I light a few candles in their memory and say a few words. You have something against a orphan wanting to speak to their dead family again?"

MgGonagall, Flitwick, and a few other professors became teary-eyed and Snape made a snorting sound, storming out.

The Deputy Headmistress said, brushing her eyes, making it seem like she had an inch, "Potter, I want you to finish this up and get to your Dorm." He nodded and as they shuffled out, Harry picked up his purple candle and felt a strange tingling going to his fingers.

Movement from the corner of his eyes caused him to turn around and saw a figure shrouded with red hair fall to her knees, covering her face. Harry jolted and blinked, it was gone.

Becoming extremely unnerved, he blew out the candle and picked up his things, sprinting all the way back to his room.


	15. Love and Quiddich

**A/N:** Everyone cheer because I'm here for good! YAY! I hope you like this chapter, there are a few swear words and some violence elements. Enjoy, cause I missed you all! ;)

_**Previously on FGF:**_

_"I..I..."_

_They looked down at the candles and the pictures scattered on the floor and the Head of the Slytherin House drawled, "What twisted sacrifice are you planning Potter?" He said a little louder and tilted up his chin in pride, "It's not a sacrifice, I do this every year for my parents. I light a few candles in their memory and say a few words. You have something against a orphan wanting to speak to their dead family again?"_

_MgGonagall, Flitwick, and a few other professors became teary-eyed and Snape made a snorting sound, storming out._

_The Deputy Headmistress said, brushing her eyes, making it seem like she had an inch, "Potter, I want you to finish it up and get to your Dorm." He nodded and as they shuffled out, Harry picked up his purple candle and felt a strange tingling going to his fingers._

_Movement from the corner of his eyes caused him to turn around and saw a figure shrouded with red hair fall to her knees, covering her face. Harry jolted and blinked, it was gone._

_Becoming extremely unnerved, he blew out the candle and picked up his things, sprinting all the way back to his room._

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**Chapter 15: Love and Quiddich**

When Harry awoke in the daybreak, there was a strange tingling sensation running up and down the back of his head. It felt like billions of spiders were crawling under his scalp. Eventually, it faded and he had asked Hermione her opinion, she simply said it was a effect of the wandless magic he had done and that he shouldn't be worrying so much.

Another interesting thing happened that morning when Harry came down from the Head Boy Dorm, he found Ron and Hermione alone together downstairs. He, standing on the foot of the staircase, watched them on the floor surrounded by piles of textbooks.

Hermione had glanced up from her paper to the red haired boy and was pulled forward into an unexpected kiss.

She didn't pull away.

It was the first time Harry had seen his friends acting like this, it was very different from the screaming matches. After a few moments, he began creeping around them to leave the room but somehow Hermione sensed his presence.

She stood up immediately when she opened her eyes to hisshocked form and stated, "Harry. Hi."

Ron looked around to his best friend, turning tomato red and standing up nervously, "No, er, Hermione and I were just. . ."

Harry broke the tension between them by letting out an almost high-pitched laugh, "Ron, it's ok. I kind of already knew." The other boy blushed more, Harry didn't feel so bad for lying, he hadn't really knew about this.

"I'm fine with you two seeing each other."

The red head grinned, his flushing disappearing, "Really?"

Harry's emerald eyes met Hermione's brown and he nodded. She got up off the floor, her face changing to all smiles when she faced Ron, "I'll see you at breakfast." He smiled goofily back and kissed her mouth clumsily, then inclined his head to Harry before exiting out the portrait door. Her face dropped and she avoided Harry's stare, his stomach began churning uncomfortably with awkwardness…or something else he couldn't put his finger on.

Hermione said quietly, "As long as you're ok with this Harry." He nodded again, his time it felt stiff, "Of course." She stepped forward and looked intently into the bright green for a minute or so, as if trying to figure out if he was lying or telling the truth.

Harry looked back into her plain eyes and waited patiently for her to back away, his pulse hammering away.

After some seconds that seemed like hours, Hermione at last walked out.

He swallowed and his sight trailed back to the exit, Harry let out a breath and made his way to his first class. The morning classes passed and the first Quiddich game of the season was approaching.

Feeling just a tad edgy, Harry wouldn't eat much, not even what Hermione decided to spoon heavily onto his already mounded plate.

He got to the pitch as the supporters gathered in the stands, as Quiddich Captain, Harry got the team together at the last moment. He saw some of heir faces were anxious, other were semi-excited.

Harry cleared his throat, getting their attention and said with a surprisingly even tone, "This is my first time being Quiddich Captain but not being a player for his team. I loved every moment of the action and the adrenaline that came along with it, I saw it all on your faces when we practiced. We're up against the most challenging team in Hogwarts, but we can beat Slytherin. Sure, they have fancy Nimbus brooms when we have just a few Comet's."

A ripple of chuckles rose, he continued more eagerly, "And yes, they use brutal violence and cheat to get what they want."

Shouts of agreement bubbled and Dean Thomas muttered, "_Too right_."

"But they don't have what we got. We got the finest Chasers," Dennis Creevey, Lavender Brown, and a fourth year named Lucy blushed darkly.

"The greatest set of Beaters since Fred and George," Dean and a recovered Seamus grinned widely," and Ron Weasly as Keeper." The red head beamed and Harry clapped him on the back, feeling a slight twisting in his stomach. Shaking it off, he called out, "Are we gonna beat some Slytherin ass?"

The Gryffindor team cheered loudly, visibly pumped up.

Lee Jordan's voice called them out and Harry led the team, feeling the wonderful cold air whipping through his hair and the soaring in his heart flutter in his chest.

He touched down in the middle of the field, the Slytherin Captain joined him.

Harry had been awaiting impatiently for this day to come, the day were he'd get Draco Malfoy back from that duel. The thirst for revenge coursed through his body as he made it nearly nose-to-nose with his archenemy to shake hands, a common tradition for the Captain before a match. Crushing each other's fingers senseless, they got back on their brooms.

As they floated high above everyone else, the Snitch was released, the Bludgers were loose, and the Quaffle was thrown.

Harry searched quickly for the Golden Snitch and heard Malfoy throwing insults at him. If this had been his fifth or sixth year, Harry would have beaten the shit out of him but after a year or so, Harry could control his temper a little better by concentrating on the task at hand. It worked.

He flew around, looking as the blonde trailed behind him to annoy and distract him.

Harry took a break to check on his team, Ron saved several throws and was getting red faced with sweat, Lavender had been hit by a Bludger, and Dennis was being harassed. To make matters worse, Slytherin was beating them good. Fueled by a drive to win, Harry tried harder to shake off Malfoy and finally saw a glint of gold.

He prepared to speed off when something heavy crashed into him, causing him to flip over, dangling high above 80 feet. Malfoy had body slammed him off his broom and was smirking menacingly, floating around him as Harry held tightly to his still floating Firebolt. The blonde boy planted his foot over Harry's clutching fingers, ready to squash them, "Not so tough, eh Potter?" Malfoy stomped on them and Harry lost his grip, grabbing the broom again, just nearly missing and his grip also found Draco's leg.

The Slytherin shook his leg ferociously, "Get off me Potter!"

Harry didn't let go in till he could sturdily remount his broom, his weight resulted in the other boy to tip over and fall straight down.

Now, Harry could have let the other boy fall to his demise but somehow he knew that if that occurred, he'd be responsible and the guilt would eat him slowly from the inside out; even if it was _Draco Malfoy_.

Sighing, Harry dove as fast as he could, pushing for haste to catch the screaming blonde. He grasped the boy's hand and yanked him up as they glided to a stop in midair. Malfoy began shaking vehemently and got sick away from Harry, the darker boy saw the Snitch just a foot away from his reach and said to the green faced boy, "See you."

Harry stood up on his Firebolt and with the shocked boy watching, he leaped off the broom, into the air.

Shrieks from the crowd rose, he reached out and grabbed the Snitch's wing, drawing the small ball into his fist and bringing it to his chest. Harry fell in the pitch, on his back, getting the wind knocked out him.

After a few seconds of finding his breath, he propped himself up with an elbow and raised the Golden Snitch up with one hand. The whistle was blown and Lee Jordan's voice cried joyfully, "Gryffindor wins! Gryffindor wins!"

The crowd cheered, Oliver Wood and Ron ran to Harry's side and heaved him to his feet. Ron asked disquieted, "You ok mate?"

Harry rubbed the small of his back, "I think so." Oliver smiled a big smile, "Great show Harry, great show. I haven't seen determination to win like that since my third year when I broke my collar bone during the Ravenclaw game."

Harry turned away from the older boy to Snape, Draco, and Madam Pomfrey in the distance. The Potions professor took him by the arm and led him out, while Malfoy's head hung forward limply. The nurse walked over to the three boys and presented Harry with the Firebolt, "I believe this is yours Mr. Potter."

"Thank you," Harry took it and glanced down at Malfoy's back departing, "Is he gonna be ok?" _'Not that I care that much.'_

Madam Pomfrey's small eyes peered down at him considerately, "He's in a right state but should be fine after he gets calmed down. Everyone saw what you did, he would have been more then scared if you hadn't went and got him. I'll be informing Professor MgGonagall of your actions."

As she walked away, Harry could swore that he saw a twitch of smirk pass on her lips. Ron muttered bitterly, bringing Harry's attention back, "Thanks a lot Harry, why did you have to go save Ferret Boy?"

Harry supported his arm on the other boy's shoulder, "Look it this way Ron, we'll be getting more House points and we're this much closer to getting the Quiddich _and _House cup." Ron whined, "But we wouldn't have to deal with Malfoy!"

Harry shook his head smiling and didn't catch Oliver doing the same, he gave Harry a proud smack on the back; causing the poor boy to cringe as the elder left.

Before Ron could complain some more, Harry's awareness was directed elsewhere.

In the stands nearby, Hermione was standing in front of Cho Chang and judging by the expressions on their faces; they were very angry. Harry tapped the red head, "Ron…"

The taller boy looked where he was staring and frowned, "What are they doing?"

"I dunno," the latter murmured.

They began dashing up the stands and heard both girl's voices raise in volume. The Asian teen lashed out, scratching Hermione's face but the bushy haired girl started hitting the other girl with unspeakable viciousness. The boys pulled them apart, Ron had an impassive Hermione in his arms and Harry had a struggling Cho.

She spat at Hermione's feet, taking off in a very wild rage.

Just as Harry was thinking about going after her to curse her into oblivion, he saw the dribble of crimson running down Hermione's cheek.

Ron took the clean corner of his Quiddich robe and dapped the blood, she glanced at him thankfully and continued observing Harry. The green eyed boy let out a laugh that sounded mechanical in his ears, "You really gave it to her, didn't you 'Mione?"

She smiled faintly, Harry clasped his hand under her chin and turned it slightly, to get a better look at the gash before letting her go.

Ron asked curiously, "Yeah, what was going on Hermione?"

"Cho was saying some very inappropriate things to me but I don't think I'll be bother by her again."

"I should say not," commented her new boyfriend, "Not after you went mad on her like that." Something flashed in her brown eyes and Harry saw her tense before saying quietly, meeting their eyes, "Are you hungry, because I'm suddenly famished."

Ron began walking with her, "Funny you should ask that Hermione…"

As those two made their way through the exiting crowd, Harry stayed behind andturned around to Cho Chang who was screaming at Oliver Wood furiously. They noticed him gazing at them and Harry felt a cold blank mask slip over his face but his eyes burned through them like fire.

Ron's voice called over the chattering of passerby's, "Coming, Harry?"

He shook his head once before joining his friends, following them to the kitchens inside for a snack. Upon saying their greeting to Dobby and the other Houseelves, Harry noticed that they were all wearing Hermione's knitted caps and small sweaters.

Soon, the trio treaded to their new favorite hangout; the Room of Requirement. Not everyone knew about, save for those who knew exactly _what_ it was.

When they entered a duplication of the Gryffindor Common Room, they started doing their own thing. Harry went to the mantle after a few minutes and felt his insides churn again, with much more nausea.

He placed a hand over abdomen and screwed up his eyes.

Hermione said from the couch where she spread out the notes from History of Magic, "Harry? Are you ok?"

"I don't think so, I feel--"

Abruptly, heat crept over his head and he doubled over, getting sickby the fireplace. She stood up and went to his side, calling out, "Ron! Get out here!" The red head threw open the bathroom door, a piece of toilet paper trailing from his shoe, "What? What's going on?"

Harry heard her voice screech, "I don't know. Harry's sick!"

The contents of his stomach came up again and he choked for breath. When someone's skin came in contact, he felt the burning of his scar searing through him. Hands were clutching him, everything around him was black and hot. Harry was moving blindly before his limbs gave out from under him.

When his surroundings came back, he was laying down in the dark and a murmuring came from the front of the bed he was in.

"They're getting more violent….summer holidays…since fifth year…..Voldemort…."

The unknown voices left his hearing and Harry slid on his glasses weakly, letting his blurry vision adjust to the low lighting. His body was racked with the aftershock of the pain, Harry could only move his head and arms even though they would twitch occasionally with tautness.

A shadow moved across his viewing and Harry blinked a few times before his very drowsy brain could register what was going on.

Omitted beneath the watchful eyes of the candlelight, laid an unmoving figure covered in sheets. Messy hair stick up over a pale face with eyes closed serenely.

Harry felt a shudder trickle up and down his spine as he watched the figure, white like death and the boy's chest barely rising under the sterile covers. Beside the bed sat three other figures, hidden slightly in murk. The young Sirius Black was seated in the only chair, staring helplessly at the unconscious body.

On the floor nearby was Remus Lupin, looking very somber and grim faced, paling in comparison to Sirius's near tears expression.

Harry had an irrepressible urge to go to them but it died away when his bright eyes followed the final outline, sitting at the end of the hospital wing bed.

Wormtail with his knees drew up to his pudgy belly, not making eye contact with anything but the floor. Even though Harry was tired, he could still feel the blazing of fury swelling in his heart. A sob escaped from Sirius's lips and he looked back at the two other boys.

The good-looking lad bit down hard on his lip, trying to remain calm.

The younger version of the former DADA teacher clasped the Marauder's shoulder kindly.

The banging of doors echoed and Harry jerked, glancing wildly to a tall slender girl entering. Red hair shone brilliantly under the soft light as Lily Evans stared at the motionless form of Harry's seventeen-year-old father.

She stepped forward, her voice wobbling, "So the rumors are true…what happened to him?"

Sirius twisted around in his chair, dark eyes flashing with anger, "What are you doing here?"

"I…I…" she sputtered.

His voice got razor-sharp and harsh, "How dare you show your face here, if you wouldn't have met up with Malfoy, none of this would have happened." Her face crumpled as several clear tears slipped down her porcelain cheeks. Remus said with a warning tone, "Sirius…."

The oldest boy stood up, screaming with such rage and sadness that it surprised everyone even Wormtail, "IT'S YOUR FAULT, GET OUT OF HERE!"

The crimson-haired girl placed a hand over her mouth horrified and started sobbing. Shaking her head quickly, she spun round to retreat but instead fell to her knees, the hem of her Hogwarts robe pooling around her.

Remus got up off the floor and went to Lily, who was crying too hard to speak. He whirled around to a red-faced Sirius, "You fucking moron, you want to wake up the whole bloody school? It wasn't Lily's fault that James was hurt and you damn well know it."

Sirius blinked, blanching as the werewolf Marauder helped the girl to her feet.

Harry saw a glare of fierce protectiveness in his eyes, he was in shock as well. Harry had never seen Remus Lupin like this, let alone hear him swear in such a manner. The lighter haired boy spoke again, "James happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, Madam Cherr said he'd get better, remember? Or where you too worried about getting screwed over because of your precious year-end prank?"

Sirius's eyes grew big, "You knew?"

"Of course, I knew that you would try to convince James to lure Snape to the Whomping Willow on the full moon. He stopped Snape from getting killed but I don't know how Lily got dragged into this today. You saw how Malfoy wanted revenge on Lily even though she never did anything. If anyone is to blame for this, it's _you_."

He put a cold emphasize on the word and Remus gave the only chair to Lily, she leaned over James and grasped his cool wrist tightly in her hands.

Harry watched as Sirius's eyes twitched and a fine film of moisture appeared in them, he stated hoarsely, "You're right Moony, it is my fault." Sirius fell against the marble wall and buried his face into his hands.

After a few silent moments, the other boy whispered, "Padfoot…I didn't mean what I said, you didn't mean for this to happen. None of us did, James knows this."

The latter mumbled, "But it was the Cruciatus Curse…I can still hear his screaming in my head…."

Harry's heart gripped painfully at the sight of his godfather weeping, it was too much to watch. Remus walked over and embraced his best friend, letting him cry on his shoulder and made eye contact with feminine green orbs.

Harry felt a throb of soreness thump in his head and he squeezed his sleepy watering eyes closed for a minute, he reopened them to find the scene gone. No one but the candlelight was there to greet him.

Too exhausted to comprehend what just happened, Harry passed out.

**---**

**Krys:** Maybe…Of course Dumbledore knows. He's like the All-Knowing Snake. -snort- You know what, I'd love to have the updates of your story, I beg you to hand them over! I've been deprived! -places hand over forehead dramatically- But I'll email you a request so you can look at my email that way because I'm not allow to show my email to everyone.

**Countingsheep123:** I've been gone a while, don't die on me! -revives her with the new chapter-fans it in her face- See, right here. Just for you. LoL. Thanks for reviewing.

**LMDGlUVR4EVA:** Thank you, how's your story coming? I have to check for updates.


	16. Pressure

**Previously on FGF:**

Harry watched as Sirius eye's twitched and a fine film of moisture appeared in them, he stated hoarsely, "You're right Moony, it is my fault." Sirius fell against the marble wall and buried his face into his hands.

After a few silent moments, the other boy whispered, "Padfoot…I didn't mean what I said, you didn't mean for this to happen. None of us did, James knows this."

The latter mumbled, "But it was the Cruciatus Curse…I can still hear his screaming in my head…."

Harry's heart gripped painfully at the sight of his godfather weeping, it was too much to witness. Remus walked over and embraced his best friend, letting him cry on his shoulder and made eye contact with feminine green orbs.

Harry felt a throb of soreness thump in his head and he squeezed his sleepy watering eyes closed for a minute, he reopened them to find the scene gone. No one but the candlelight was there to greet him.

Too exhausted to comprehend what just happened, Harry passed out.

**

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**Chapter 16: Pressure**

Harry began to slowly forget what happened to him last month, his hallucination of the past ebbed out his memory. Only sometimes in the night he remembered vague details, but his sleep was not disturbed by dreams or nightmares, which meant his scar stayed dormant.

Still, he was forced to visit the hospital wing periodically to be checked upon. Even though nothing had happened since however many weeks ago, his condition was getting worse, another one of those fits could result in permanent damage; so Madam Pomfrey told him. She didn't hide any facts from him, or sugar coat any details of the severity of not telling someone if a vision or a burning of his scar occurred. Voldemort could still find a way to possess him. He promised her that she'd inform her of dreams or anything strange that was happening to him.

"Harry, are you in there?" Hermione rapped his skull and he made a face, "What?"

"I've only been calling your name for the past two minutes," she blurted out fearful, "Is it your scar?"

Harry frowned, "Stop it, I'm fine. I really hate this, I really hate everyone walking on eggshells around me and treating me like glass. I was just spacing out."

Even though it was getting to be the Christmas holidays, he was in a cranky mood. The festive surroundings of the Great Hall around them could not uplift his spirits, not even the million of plates of Christmas foods on the table in front of him. The brunette girl opened her mouth to nag when Ron came into the large room, singing with a shrill voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

Several students nearby covered their ears and the red-haired boy sat down beside his friends, singing a chorus terribly off-pitch. Harry shouted over Ron's crowing, "Ron! _RON_! Stop it, you're giving everyone a headache!"

The other boy continued onward with his singing and Hermione reached out, pulling the earphones out of Ron's ears, "I'm afraid this is my fault."

Her boyfriend glowered, "_Bloody hell_, I liked that song!"

She turned to Harry, looking almost apologetic, "I'm sorry to say that I gave him his Christmas present early."

"One day early?" noted Harry annoyed.

He took a look at the sleek silver compact disk player, knowing that normal Muggle electric devices couldn't be used in Hogwarts and figured Hermione put a special enchantment on it so it could be used. Harry mentally decided to ask her about it later.

Ron snatched it back, putting the phones back in and kept on singing poorly.

After trying to ignore it, the two best friends were on their nerves edge along with everyone else within a hearing range. Harry got up to yank the earphones away but Hermione was faster, she took up some treacle fudge and shoved a rather big chuck in Ron's throat, causing his mouth to be glued shut and his screeching stopped.

The Gryffindor table laughed and Harry nodded, "Just what I was thinking Hermione." A drawling voice emerged from behind them, "Finally someone's putting Weasley in his place. Potter isn't man enough so he's got the Mudblood to do it."

Draco chuckled heartily along with his crewnies as they sat down at their House table.

Hermione declared coolly, "What I don't get is, how come yousaved Malfoy's ass and he continues to act like one? Please inform me because I'm at a loss."

The sarcastic remark made Harry stare at her strangely and she shrugged, "What?"

"Nevermind. Maybe because he'll always be a prat?"

Ron finally unlodged the fudge from his system and yelled at Malfoy, "Oh yeah, well you can---!"

Harry forced more fudge into Ron's mouth without turning around. Breakfast ended shortly and Harry left the Gryffindors to attend his new Occlumency lessons. He had received a letter earlier, addressing him to go to the dungeons where Snape's classes were held.

Harry ventured down into the darkness and went through the doors, inside sat the Potions Master; looking particularly displeased at the sight of him. Harry thought the feeling was mutual and a familiar soft voice drawled, "Don't worry, he's not teaching you. I am." He turned around to Darcie, who was wearing her standard black robe, standing on the other side of the room.

"Are you ready for your lessons?"

"You're teaching me?"

Snape rolled his dark eyes sarcastically, "Point to Gryffindor." The Black female turned to the Hogwarts professor, "Severus, I'd appreciate it if you didn't interrupt my teaching. I understand this is your classroom but you are only here to supervise. You may comment if I make a mistake, which I do not intend on doing, but otherwise, I wish you would keep your remarks to yourself."

Harry was glad to see Snape's expression turn to an nasty red.

Darcie glanced back at the boy, smiling again, "Now, do you remember what Occlumency is?" He shuffled through his thoughts and uttered, "Something about blocking other people from going through my mind, because Voldemort knows Leg…Legilimency."

Both adults twitched at the Dark Lord's name and Snape looked like he was having a hard time suppressing the urge to shout.

The woman nodded, "Good. Alright, we'll begin right away." She took out her wand and said calmly, "Be prepared, I'm going to say the spell. Use what defense you want…one…two…three. _Legilimens!"_

Harry saw the movie of memories play in his head.

The person who attacked him in the corridor, telling him angrily to stop messing around. His parent's ghosts in the graveyard. Sirius's face as he fell behind the Veil…_STOP, STOP, STOP! _he screamed in his head and soon Harry was screaming the words raw as the spell left him.

Darcie went to his side and asked, "Are you alright?" His breathing came out in short gasps and he murmured inaudibly, "You never saw that," and got to his feet weakly.

Her eyes lost their usual enthusiasm for a moment and she responded, "I think you can use a little meditation, it's a great way to clear your mind. In order for you to be able to fight the Dark Lord, you'll need a clear head." With a wave of her wand, several soft mats appeared on the floor and some light poured in from a unknown source, making everything appear soft and misty.

She seated down and Harry joined her, sitting across from her. Darcie patted a rather squashy one, "Professor, would you like to come join us?"

The Head of the Slytherin House sneered tartly, "I'd rather not, Black." Harry was thankful and she smirked, saying more encouragingly, "Oh, don't be a spoilsport Severus…No? Alright then," Darcie made a movement with her wand and tranquil music could heard all around them, "Concentrate on the music Harry, focus your mind on the music and take deep …"

He felt a little foolish but took in the deep breaths rhythmically, his limbs were relaxing, nothing was going through his head. It felt as if time hadn't passed when Harry finally heard someone called his name and he found himself standing in front of his godmother, wand raised.

"- Two - three - _LEGILIMENS_!"

The moment he realized he hit Hermione, her blood running down her face…Voldemort's face looming closer…Harry's mind began to empty…the dementors surrounding Ron and Hermione…Darcie was standing right there becoming clearer…Ginny's glassy eyes staring right at him, wide, blank, dead… _"PROTEGO!"_

The young woman had fallen back and Harry was seeing other things….a crowd of Deatheaters jostling a girl……The same girl, cradling a body of a person of her own age, sobbing and the Dark Mark burning on her arm…two dark faced people, one of them was Sirius's Mum…Harry's mother's body laying limply on the nursery floor…

Harry opened his eyes, hearing Darcie weeping, "I forgot to put them in the Pensive…I forgot…I shouldn't have let him see that!" He was leaning on the wall and stood up, seeing her crying in Snape's arms.

The Potions Master sat her down and gave Harry a glare, "You're finished Potter. Go or I'll be forced to take away House Points."

His bright green eyes watched as he took out a bottle of mild Calming Draught and Darcie howled, "_Harry_…_Harry_…" Another menacing look from Snape made his legs move and he racing from the dungeon; out into the corridors.

He pushed through students who were on their way to their Common Rooms, hardly feeling any of the shoving. He sprinted down to the Head Dormitory, saying the password 'weasel tongue' and bursting through the entrance.

Harry didn't stop even when Hermione and Ron(who had a habit of being found in the Dorm) stood near the stairwell, greeting him at first.

The raven-haired boy flew into their arms, burying his face as if he was a terrified child.

His friends stared at him in shock then regained their senses after a moment, carefully guiding him to the couch. Harry told them what had happened in the Potion's classroom and they were sympathetic; didn't even complain when he wouldn't let them out of his sight. Eventually, Harry became too tired and fell asleep, leaning on Ron and stretched out on Hermione.

It was around ten when the Potter boy awoke, alone, with his back on the cushions. His friends must have decided to go to sleep in their rooms, he guessed.

Harry didn't feel sleepy at that instant and went for a stroll in the castle not caring that he didn't have his map or cloak, not caring if Mrs. Norris or Filch found him wandering.

A pair of eyes were on him.

Harry looked straight down the darken corridor and whispered, "I knew you were following me."

The hooded figure was standing a few feet behind him, Harry whirled around to face the person. It's voice growled, "What have I told you about walking around unprotected? Are you hard-of-hearing or just plain thick?"

Emotionlessly, the teenager took out his wand and threw it away, "There, I'm unarmed. Go ahead and beat me to a bloody pulp like you did last time since I clearly didn't learn my lesson." The figure didn't move, just stood there as if scrutinizing him.

"You've given up," it stated.

Harry shrugged stupidly.

"You can't," the figure stated again.

He replied carelessly, "I don't know anymore. I can't do anything right, everyone around me suffers." The hood shifted as if the outline was shaking it's head, "I can't believe how much of a imbecile you are, Harry Potter."

The raven haired boy was too quick, Harry rammed the figure against the wall aggressively, saying harshly, "Do you know what's like? Knowing that some madman is after you because of a dumb prophecy, because you're the only thing in his way? Watching people you hardly even knew die in front of your eyes? How about people you did? Trying to fight the fact that your life was a complete lie and the people you trust were leading you on while the ones you hate were right all this time?"

Harry raged on, the figure didn't even struggle, "I wish that I didn't survive the attack when I was one. I wish Quirrel had strangled me in my first year. I wish that basilisk poison in second year had killed me. I wish the dementors had just finished me off on the train in third year. I wish for a lot of things, a lot that begged for death because I believe it would be easier then living. I'm still living because everyone else needs me, Ron and Hermione need me, hell, the Slytherins need me. You think that I don't realize that I'm the last hope? God, if anyone is an imbecile, it's your clueless arse."

Harry could have shown that something resembling a smile was visible under the black hood.

The figure gently pushed Harry off and took up Harry's wand; he prepared to bolt. The mysterious person stretched out it's arm, holding out his wand for him to take it.

Harry did, warily of course, and asked, "What you do that for?"

It imitated Harry's shrug, "Dunno," and started walking away.

Before Harry's jaw could drop, it tossed back over it's shoulder, "By the way, you aren't the only one."

**---**

**A/N: **Ok, I edited this recently because I forgot to point out the electric devices don't work in Hogwarts. My apologizes, I've fixed it to seem...semi accurate.

**LMDGlUVR4EVA**: More like a hallucination, but good guess. ;) I've read your new story, it's keeping my attention. Keep up the good work! Well, if you look at my bio, I do say I am a R/Hr shipper, along with damn near everything else imaginable. LoL. How this story will turn out, well, you'll have to figure out. I don't wanna spoil the surprise.

**Autumn-leaVez**: Thank you for the review! Haha. You will see, promise.


	17. Happy Christmas

**Previous on FGF:**

Harry raged on, the figure didn't even struggle, "I wish that I didn't survive the attack when I was one. I wish Quirrel had strangled me in my first year. I wish that basilisk poison in second year had killed me. I wish the dementors had just finished me off on the train in third year. I wish for a lot of things, a lot that begged for death because I believe it would be easier the living. I'm still living because everyone else needs me, Ron and Hermione need me, hell, the Slytherins need me. You think that I don't realize that I'm the last hope? God, if anyone is an imbecile, it's your clueless arse."

Harry could have shown that something resembling a smile was visible under the black hood.

The figure gently pushed Harry off and took up Harry's wand; he prepared to bolt. The mysterious person stretched out it's arm, holding out his wand for him to take it.

Harry did, warily of course, and asked, "What you do that for?"

It imitated Harry's shrug, "Dunno," and started walking away.

Before Harry's jaw could drop, it tossed back over it's shoulder, "By the way, you aren't the only one."

**

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**Chapter 17: Happy Christmas**

Stacks of presents were shining with bright ribbons and wrapping underneath an enormous green fir tree. As everyone else opened their piles on that Christmas morning, Harry sat in a corner of the Head Dorm, staring blindly into space.

He was still numb with shock from the prior evening, he exposed himself to the stranger, probably giving out his weakness.

Funny, was that he or she did not strike him last time when he was mouthing off. Harry wondered if what he had done was a mistake and kept thinking about it when a red-eyed Hermione Granger shuffled down the spiral staircase. She sniffed once and stared at him, scrunched up against the wall and far away from the Christmas tree.

Even more startling was that it seemed he hadn't laid a finger on any of the boxes addressed to him.

"Harry. . .why haven't you opened any of your presents? I got you something really good this year--"

She was interrupted by Ron coming through the portrait door, while the wealthy figures on the painting mumbled something about appearances, he was still in his long pajamas and carrying a heap of gifts. His freckled face was wide with a grin, "_Oye_! Look at all this stuff the Gryffindors got us! There's some for you Hermione…think Lavender and the other girls got a little overboard, and Harry, there's one from Luna"

The red head stopped talking and his grin vanished, "What are you doing?"

The other boy looked away from whatever he was looking intently at, "I've got to tell you guys something." Ron dropped the gifts beside the tree, decorated with scarlet and gold, and Hermione knelt in front of Harry; looking very concerned.

His breath came in shaky, "Last night, when you all were asleep, I went walking around the castle because I didn't feel sleepy. Just to clear my mind. I think that might have been a bad idea."

Ron questioned, seating in a chair nearby, "Did you get in trouble? Did Filch catch you?"

Hermione shushed him and Harry shook his head, unblinking orbs widened under black bangs, "No, but I knew someone was following me. A while ago, I did the same thing and someone attacked me in the hallway. Someone who told me that if they caught me wandering around in the middle of the night again, I'd regret it."

His friend's reactions were different, Hermione went a sickly pale and began wringing her hands, Ron on the other hand turned red in the face and the ears, shouting, "Who was it? Because I'm gonna kill them!"

"I don't know. They had a hood on, I couldn't see. I met with the same person last night and I couldn't take it anymore. I threw the person on the wall and lost my temper. Went on about how no one knows how I feel and how I wish…."

Ron asked, still sounding angry, "Wish what?"

Harry's eyes darkened with suppressed emotions, "How I wished to die." Ron's face went from bright red to white within seconds and Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Everything I do affects the people around me and the people I love get hurt. I know that I need to stop Voldemort, that's what's important to me right now, not how I'm feeling. But it was still…I-it was unnerving…to share that with someone I didn't know. What if it was a Deatheater? Or--?"

Harry found that his words were cut off by Hermione's two fingers pressed against his lips.

The bushy haired girl said seriously, "Harry, I wouldn't worry about it. It was probably just someone trying to get a rouse out of you," her voice became cheerful, "Beside, it's Christmas! You can go to Dumbledore later if you're so worried but now, we have all these presents to open. Won't you come and enjoy the holiday, if only for a day?"

Harry looked from Ron's encouraging eyes to Hermione's hand that was stuck out at him. He made his decision, by taking her hand and joining them to unwrapping presents.

They were lovely gifts and he was thankful for his friends.

As it turns out, Ron was to leave Hogwarts for the Christmas vacation, leaving his two friends in the school. Harry could have head to Grimmauld Place, since he inherited everything that was Sirius's, but the loyal Gryffindor, didn't want Hermione to spend a vacation alone.

She protested that she'd hold herself up in the library, her parents were off in Greece, and Harry wouldn't change his mind.

When the Weasley's came to get Ron, the Boy-Who-Lived greeted Bill, Charlie, and the twins. The elder Weasley's patted him on the back while Fred and George took turns shaking his hand. Even though their faces were bright from the cold and merry with Christmas cheer, Harry could see deep inside that they were mourning.

It would be the first Christmas without Ginny, their baby sister.

Thinking about her, Harry's stomach twisted into knots and he fought back a lump rising in his throat.

He said goodbye to them and some time passed considerably. Harry found himself wandering aimlessly outside into the cold. Hermione Granger sat in the stands, going through a book with her portable waterproof fire in a jar, right by her side. Her hooded cloak covered her head and the shadows hiding her eyes gave her a sinister look.

He came up from behind her and asked, "How do you do that?"

She jolted up from her reverie and twisted herself around, "Do what?" Harry pointed to the jar and she smiled, "I'll tell you one day. Right now I'm busy." She turned back to her reading and he reached for a few stray papers, "What are you---?"

Abruptly, her hand came up and grabbed his wrist forcefully, "No. Don't touch it."

Harry backed up and she went back to her trance-like reading, he muttered, "Sorry," and climbed down. When he got inside, he found that his arm was throbbing.

Harry rubbed it absently and was mentally planning to finish the rest of his holiday alone in the library when a figure appeared out of nowhere, whisking him down the hallway. He frowned at the Head of his House, "Professor, what are doing? What's going on?"

Her austere eyes peered down upon him, "The Headmaster wishes to speak to you in private. Come along Potter, keep up."

With MgGonagall keeping a unyielding grasp on his arm, they raced to the entrance leading to Dumbledore's office; as soon as they cross the threshold, some of the portraits greeted Harry genially. He waved back at them halfheartedly and found that the witch had not followed him and shut the door behind him.

Harry stood uncomfortably in the great room for a few moments before going up to Dumbledore's office, he spotted Fawkes perched watching him in all his beautiful red and gold colors.

The sight of him warmed his heart and Harry could dotingly remember his soothing touch the times when the creature landed on his shoulder.

"You are wondering why I had Professor MgGonagall bring you here."

Harry looked up to see Albus Dumbledore standing on his staircase, taking the last several steps very slowly; knees noticeably shaking. The boy made a move to help him but the man made his way over without delay once he was off the stairs. Dumbledore gave him a slight smile, "I am old Harry, there is no doubt. My years have passed with grace and prosperity. Now, back at the subject at hand."

The white bearded wizard sat in his comfy chair and examined at him through his half moon glasses, "This won't surprise you, but I have been keeping some important things from you."

Harry shook his head and sat in a plump red chair across from the desk, "What? Am I really half Vampire and half Dragon or something?"(1)

Dumbledore chuckled with gusto at his comment, "No Harry. It's about Lily Potter." At the mention of his mother's name, Harry's eyes widened and he leaned forward instinctively.

"Harry, I know you do not know much about your parents, and yes, the Pensive incident was reported to me by Severus."

Harry grumbled under his breath and it further seemed to entertain the Headmaster, "I imagine you would like to know about their past, the decision to tell you was decided when you were old enough to take it. The minimum age was seventeen, now, I think you're ready.

'First, everything that was your parents is now yours. As the legal heir, the money, property, documents, papers, the lot belongs to you. Sometime soon, the Ministry will call for you and you will receive the information and other various things. No one lied to you when they told you about your Father, James. He was in Gryffindor, Head Boy, Chaser of the Gryffindor Quiddich Team, a descendant of a long line of Magic bloodlines-"

"And an enormous prat," declared the bitter boy.

Dumbledore held up a wrinkled hand, "Harry, I must ask you not to interrupt. Yes, at his young age he was juvenile as it was said by his peers and his best friends but James was a respectable person Harry. He was courageous and loved your Mother very much, and she in turn was the same.

'About your Mother, Lily, you have been lied to about the subject of her blood. If you could find her family tree and look back into the line, you would find very powerful wizards. The males were the inherits of the magic ability, surprisingly several coming from the House of Slytherin. In the case of Lily, it came as quite a astonishment to your grandparents when she got her letter on her eleventh birthday. Petunia Dursley never showed any traits and we believe that it skipped her, as well as her son. The magicline came from your Grandmother Heather, there was no magic history from your Grandfather, but Lily was told that she was simply Muggleborn."

Harry spoke aloud in recognition, "She never knew. You never told her."

The old man sighed, "I'm afraid not."

The raven haired boy licked his lips, controlling his anger by focusing on the floor.

"James did not know either. When his parents were told that he was marrying your Mother, they did not give their approval. But when we confided in them, they couldn't be happier to know that Lily had magic blood. I know you do not like hearing this Harry, but it is the truth I have sworn to notify you."

Harry broke him off, "I'm sorry Sir but I have to know….did they know about the prophecy?"

The Headmaster's eyes were a dreary blue, "They did. The results of Lily's psychic power forced us to reveal it. They were married at the time and it was a reason why they were hesitate to stay together, for if they had a child, the child would either be murdered or a murderer. Harry, you weren't told everything. There was more then one prophecy that was made but it was not made by myself or Professor Trelawney, they were made very long ago by beings that are unidentified. We cannot find all of the prophecy's, some were lost forever but we did happen to find one other. And your parents were told off it in hopes that they could change the course of events hat would occur. They weren't successful."

Harry's throat was dry and he was dreading to ask his question, his voice cracking, "What was it?"

Professor Dumbledore got up weakly and came beside Harry's chair, placing a hand on the back of it, surveying at the seventeen-year-old that suddenly looked like a shaking first year.

"The prophecy stated that they would die on an evening in October, protecting their child. Voldemort would fail in resulting to kill you, making your scar and securing your Fate. They tried, they were determined to keep a happy life with you but I think they knew deep down in their hearts the fear of having their future confirmed."

Harry feltsomething drip onto his shirt and sting his eyes but he didn't move. So, it was like they weren't there.

"What about me," he choked a whisper, "Am I doomed to be like them?"

Dumbledore said with as much reassurance as he could muster, "My boy, there is no such prophecy." Harry argued, his voice rising wildly, "But you said there was other prophecy's, ones you didn't even know about!"

A comforting gesture laid upon his arm, "Harry, I can assure you that we are still looking for them and the only ones with you involved was your parents and Voldemort's. Please, try to stay calm." Harry blinked rapidly and wiped his face, "I know Sir. I'm sorry…this just is…"

Albus Dumbledore went back to his desk and opened a drawer stiffly, pulling out a small green box.

Taking a closer look, Harry realized that it was decorated with jade stones and silver trimming. The Headmaster motioned for him and Harry was given the bow when he followed, "This is yours, it belonged to your Mother. Given by her Mother and from there, your Great Grandfather. It's not very old but it meant a lot to Lily, she never took it off once she received it. Not for anything."

Carefully and with quivering hands, Harry opened the lid of the box. Inside, cradled in the deepest red silk, was a necklace.

He picked it up and gazed at it admiringly, it had a braided fine gold chain, dangling from the chain was a round gold pendent with a single emerald embedded in the middle.

Harry clasped it tightly in his fist, it was his Mother's. His Mum had touched it, had worn it. Savoring the feel of the cool metal in his palm, he flipped it over and saw something smeared on the smooth back.

Before Harry could wipe it off, he heard the Headmaster inquire, "What do you think?"

The old man was caught off-guard when the teenager all of a sudden hugged him and affirmed, "Thank you Professor, you have no idea how much this means to me." Albus laughed, "To see you happy Harry, is the greatest reward." Harry grinned broadly and watched as the old man sighed deeply, going down to sit in his chair.

He posed, "I don't mean to be prying Sir, but did your Christmas go well?" The Headmaster smiled, "Yes, I was given books. It seems I am getting the same presents every year, although they are convenient."

Abruptly, Harry got an idea at that moment.

"Have a good day Harry."

He nodded and left the office, his head buzzing with his new information and his idea. Harry took a few days to sleep with everything and remained in isolation in till everyone came back from Christmas vacation.

The Welcome Back Feast was loud and joyous, the students were gossiping and talking about their adventures in foreign lands and the wonderful Christmas parties they attended.

Harry ate his roast, swallowing and eating like he was famished.

Ron had came back with a huge award, apparently he had entered a Nationwide Wizards Chess competition and won first place. The redhead spent the rest of the day bragging to the younger grades who listened eagerly while everyone else rolled their eyes amused.

It was nearing the end of dinner when Dumbledore made an announcement, dressed in scarlet robes, "Students and teachers of Hogwarts, I wish you all a pleasant evening. I am appointing our Deputy Headmistress my position because of an illness that has taken a hold of me. I will return as soon as I possibly can and I will miss all of your smiling face while I am gone."

A roaring applause overtook the Great Hall as he beamed and sat down with the help of Flitwick and MgGonagall.

Hermione murmured anxiously, "I do hope he'll be alright."

Ron said offhandedly, "Of course he'll be. He's Dumbledore, don't worry about it." Everyone got up to leave; Harry took up a brown package from under the table, flicking his wand and whispering, _"Mobilarbus!"_

It began floating and he pointed his wand at the teacher's table. The package fell into the Headmaster's lap, several students and teachers hung back to observe. The man looked generally confused and pulled off the ribbon, looking into the opening.

The expression on his face was priceless, a mixture of many levels of shock.

In his right hand was a pair of wool socks.

His twinkling blue eyes met a pair of bright green, that remained by the doorway then disappeared in the hallway.

His two best friends waited for him, Ron was staring at his left hand, "What's that?" He looked down and saw the necklace in his hand, he had not left it out of his sight since he got it but never put it on.

Hermione walked up to him and said with a smirk, "It's beautiful." The bushy haired girl went behind him and slung it on his neck, clasping the ends together so that it dangled between his chest.

She asked softly, "Is it yours?"

Harry fingered the emerald and smiled.

(1) No offense to the writers of Half Blood stories.

**A/N**: Ello ello all! I do hope you enjoyed this chaper because it's majorly important, we are almost nearing the end of the story. I know my writing for this story isn't the best but I think the meaning is pretty decent, I came up with it when I was just starting up. Enjoy!

**LMDGlUVR4EVA**: I am thrilled! I was so amazed at your response that I started blushing. Lol. Well, thank you. I'm glad to hear you're still reading!


	18. Of Teachers and Creatures

**Previously on FGF:**

It began floating and he pointed his wand at the teacher's table. The package fell into the Headmaster's lap, several students and teachers hung back to observe. The man looked generally confused and pulled off the ribbon, looking into the opening.

The expression on his face was priceless, a mixture of many levels of shock.

In his right hand, was a pair of wool socks.

His twinkling blue eyes met a pair of bright green, that remained by the doorway then disappeared in the hallway.

His two best friends waited for him, Ron was staring at his left hand, "What's that?" He looked down and saw the necklace in his hand, he had not left it out of his sight since he got it but never put it on.

Hermione walked up to him and said with a smirk, "It's beautiful." The bushy haired girl went behind him and slung it on his neck, clasping the ends together so that it dangled between his chest.

She asked softly, "Is it yours?"

Harry fingered the emerald and smiled.

**

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**Chapter 18: Of Teachers and Creatures**

Another nightmare had taken hold of the Boy-Who-Lived. For the first evening he wore his new necklace, a dream had taken him in his sleep and when he awoke, tears had dried on his face.

Harry went the hospital wing straight after and Madam Pomfrey found him in good health, all day, he thought about his dream.

_There was whirling shadows surrounding him, the shaking of the ground roared in his ears. Harry glanced around in the early morning scene, the sun was rising in the horizon, coloring the sky a soft blue. Voices were calling from the distance, he turned his head to the sidewalk and saw from a few feet away, the ruins of a house. _

Over the wreckage, shining high above in the sky, was the glowing green shape of the Dark Mark. Climbing over the remains were people dressed in dark blue robes, the sign of the Aurors.

Harry followed them, tripping over wood beams and broken porcelain figurines. Something caught his attention, he dug under some jagged glass pieces and yanked out a dirty old teddy bear, with glassy black eyes and worn brown fur. It came to him-

His Mum smiling broadly, waving Mr. Bear over his crib, Mr. Bear was so nice and soft-

Dismayed, Harry dropped his childhood toy onto the muddy ground and looked up, Hagrid was nearby, talking to an Auror quickly. They couldn't see him standing there.

In his beefy arms, was a bundle of blankets; Harry stared at his one-year-old self wretchedly.

When he took a step forward, his foot hit something hard. The boy looked down and at first thought it was some wood. To his horror, laying unmoving on her back, was his dead Mother.

She was in a pink blouse and jeans, her beautiful red hair fanning around her head like a pool of blood, her emerald green eyes opened wide with frozen terror. If he could faint, Harry would have done so. He crouched down beside her body, hardly believing his eyes at what he was seeing. Her eyes reminded him of Ginny's.

As his heart clenched tightly, Harry made a move to close the eyelids but something was sparkling on her neck, blinding his eyes.

Harry Potter's eyes found the necklace…her necklace…his necklace…clasped on her throat unevenly. To have such a exquisite thing on the corpse of a once exquisite creature made him sick.

He reached out and touched the emerald, a jolt of electricity swept through him and he was spinning again…

"So that's what happened?"

Harry nodded, Ron blinked in his thoughtful manner, "That's bloody mad, are you sure Pomfrey said it had nothing to do with you?"

Hermione commented, "Ron, it doesn't have to be linked with future events. Probably because it was the thing Harry's Mother wore for so long and that night transferred some of her magic to him through images. It's most likely temporary."

Harry pointed at her, "What she said."

Spring was in the air. The trio was heading back from the Apparating test, talking against themselves on the Hogwarts Express. The seventh years had taken a field trip out of Hogwarts to a remote location where they were tested.

Harry and Hermione passed with flying colors and got their licenses immediately, Ron needed some practice when he found himself in the next town, twenty miles from the place he was suppose to be. They joked about it when they entered Hogwarts, to the familiar halls. As they were passing the Great Hall, they heard two woman talking loudly. Harry went closest to the door and listened to the conversation.

Professor Trelawney fluttered around the Deputy Headmistress like a hyper butterfly, "Surely I can be of some help dearie, you have your hands full with this position. I can use my Inner Eye-"

MgGonagall said grumpy, "I can handle this school, the Headmaster has put _me_ in charge."

"I know, but I can be of some assistance with my powers."

The Head of the Gryffindor clenched her teeth, "I don't need your help Sibyll, especially with your 'powers'." Trelawney suddenly looked a little cross, "Are you implying that my magic energy that has been passed over hundreds of years are make-believe?"

The stern witch made a sarcastic smile at her, "It wouldn't surprise me." Professor Trelawney said mysteriously, "I sense your distress Minerva, your jealousy towards me and such, you never were the leader type."

MgGonagall's eyes narrowed greatly, "Hold your tongue Trelawney, you have got on my last nerve with you and your…._mystical nonsense_!"

Suddenly, they were screaming nonsense at each other and Ron's eyes went wide with shock as they walked away, "Whoa, I didn't know Professor hated fortune-telling so much…or Trelawney." Hermione shook her head at him, "Sometimes Ronald, I wonder." She touched his shoulder lovingly as he kissed the top of her head. A screech rang out, "_Potter_!"

Harry groaned, "MgGonagall. Argh, she keeps coming after me every day." Ron commented as the Deputy Headmistress came over, "She's bugging you this year more then ever."

"I heard that Mr. Weasley," MgGonagall barked.

She looked sternly at Harry, "Come along, we have some business to attend to before classes start up."

She led the way and Harry gave them a helpless look before leaving them.

- - -

Classes started up a few weeks later. Defense Against the Dark Arts was second for most of the Gryffindor seventh years. Many were silently praying that Snape had only returned as the Potions Master and not the DADA teacher.

There was no sign of Remus Lupin anywhere so there might not be hope.

Since House's classes were switched up, the seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors filed into the room, keeping a far distance away from each other. Ron and Hermione stayed in their tight ring of friends as the morning sun streamed through the untouched room. It was bare with desks and a teacher chair facing the class.

The chamber door opened boomingly and in stepped Harry, dressed in his Hogwarts robes and wand in his right hand. He stopped in front of them, projecting his voice, "Good morning everyone."

The Gryffindors looked at Slytherins who were just as befuddled, Draco Malfoy sneered, "Potter, where's the teacher?"

Harry smiled confidently and corrected him, "That's Professor Potter, Malfoy. I will be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in till Professor Lupin comes back from holiday." The blonde drawled, "You must be joking."

The raven haired boy smiled wider, "Nope. Welcome back from the holidays everyone, it was fantastic but we have to settle back in reality." He gestured to them, "Come on, collective sigh."

They all made an exasperated sighs along with him; some of the girls giggled. Harry switched back to teacher mode, "Let me take roll and we'll get started." He pulled out the parchment and checked off names as everyone said theirs alphabetically. Harry placed roll call away and his eyes found Draco and his goons jinxing some the Gryffindor girls behind their backs.

"Mr. Malfoy."

Everyone looked up to the seventeen-year-old who had an adult pose, arms crossed and as straight as a soldier.Harryfrowned slightly, "I will not tolerate such acts in my classroom. Stop them now."

The blonde rolled his cold eyes, "Potter, you can't tell me what to do." The Gryffindors gasped and Harry walked forward, right over to his desk and leaned forward, "I won't tolerate insubordination either. Apologize to your victims and cease your pranks."

"When did you learn big words _Potty_? What if I don't listen to you, what are you going to do about it?"

The student-teacher had a trace of a smirk on his face, "10 points off Slytherin and I will see you after class." There was collective gasps and hoots, Ron shouted, "Got what was coming to you Malfoy!"

Harry turned to Ron, raising an eyebrow, "Mr. Weasley, I ask you to keep quiet or I'll be seeing you after class as well."

Ron was slightly a taken back and Hermione was grinning broadly at him. The class went smoothly after this and the members of the secret DA passed the assignment with ease, for they've done it already. Malfoy had been the only one successful with the Advanced Protective Shield and was looking quite proud of himself, everyone stopped what they were doing to watch their new professor go up to him.

Harry stared at him a moment before stating, "Good job, keep it up." He clapped the blonde on the shoulder for a moment before turning away.

No one was more amazed then Malfoy himself.

When everyone's classes ended, Hermione went to find Harry who was hanging out in his classroom, putting up Gryffindor tapestries. He spotted her and smiled, "Hey Hermione."

She shook her head beaming, "Well, well, well. Harry, you have grown-up in front of my eyes. I am very proud of you, you showed more of a mature attitude then I have seen in anyone here. You were fair, strict, and encouraging. I was speechless."

The boy got down off the chair and said amiably, "Thanks. So I really did good for my first time?"

Hermione nodded, "Brilliant, but how does this cut into your classes?" Leave it to Hermione to be concerned about his education.

Harry shrugged, "I'm done."

"What?"

He persisted, "Remember when MgGonagall took me in the hallway? She offered me to be student-teacher since Lupin had recommended it and I was getting high marks. I jumped at the chance Hermione. So, I trained for the N.E.W.T's, using the pre-recommended notes you gave me, and the teachers gave me the tests and I passed. I'm going to graduation with everyone too, I'm just using this time to teach."

She looked genuinely excited, "That's wonderful Harry! I always knew you'd make a wonderful DADA teacher." He interjected, "I still want to be an Auror though, that's my first priority."

He went to set his wand down and Hermione whispered sadly, "It's so scary." Harry whirled around, her eyes were a bit teary, "We're all growing up so fast. It only seemed like yesterday we were fighting Fluffy in the third floor corridor…"

He swooped down to give her a hug and she stopped him, giving him a brave smile, "I should be going, Ron will be wondering where I am."

"Is he ok with me being a teacher?"

Hermione said before leaving, "I think he respects you more now."

Several hours passed and Harry was coming back from a victory party. Gryffindor had won the Quiddich Cup against Slytherin, Malfoy had been banned from Quiddich because he had been discovered for using one of the Unforgivable Curses and still has a sentenced court date. Both boys were severely punished for having that battle.

He had enjoyed the Gryffindor party and got a chance to lose himself in the atmosphere, trying a little of brown-sacked Firewhiskey and flirting with some fifth years. Now, his aching body wanted some rest.

Harry traveled warily down past the entrance of the dungeons and heard someone coming from the dark steps.

He hide behind a drapery and heard two cool voices, "MgGonagall must be mad to let Potter teach the class! Can't you take over Severus?" Harry peeked out to see Snape and Malfoy walked out of shadowy dungeon and down the corridor, "I'll do my best," answered the Potions Master.

The other boy clenched the curtain tightly and observed them disappearing around the corner.

'Bloody bastards.'

Harry stepped from behind the tapestry when a sudden sense of cold strike his system. He clutched at his chest as his breath came out in frost. Two floating dementors came from the opposite hallway, going around the corner.

"Shit," Harry muttered as he dug out his wand and went sprinting after them. They were after the Slytherins, they finally noticed and Malfoy let out a terrified girly shriek. Snape did the same, they cowered before the dementors like frightened children.

Luckily, Harry could reach them before they got kissed and had the energy to do the spell.

As the creatures retreated, Harry panted for a moment before roaring, "What the hell! You don't know the damn spell? Snape, you want to be a DADA teacher and you don't know a simple Patronus spell? I know fifth years you can do it! You call yourself a teacher? Good Lord…"

He shoved his pocket in his wand and snorted, "You'd better learn it in case Voldemort owns a bunch of these buggers." Harry stumbled away and called out to no one particular, "By the way, your welcome!"

- - -

**A/N**: Salutations(what a weird word)! I hope you enjoyed this chapter's, it's a bit off but I've been like this for a while. The damn ACT's got to me. Reviewing is good for your karma.

**LMDGlUVR4EVA**: Sorry. ;) I'm not gonna make 25, I was going to make it long but I can't stretch it out like I was planning. But don't worry, I have a fun sequel to match this and it will be DEFINITELY bigger then 25 chapters. Then I'll have an in between story to match this too. Oh my God, your compliments really made me feel good. -grins- You are too kind Miss BL. Thank you so much for the review, enjoy the chapters! BTW: I heard you need a beta. I need one too. LoL.

**LiLy MaLfOy 13**: I like your name, makes me think if Lucius and Lily got married? -snicker- That's a funny thought. Thanks for reviewing Lily. You're a new reader, aren't you? -shakes hand- I'm Val. Wanna cookie?


	19. All Is Revealed

_Previously on FGF:_

_"Shit," Harry muttered as he dug out his wand and went sprinting after them. They were after the Slytherins, they finally noticed and Malfoy let out a terrified girly shriek. Snape did the same, they cowered before the dementors like frightened children._

_Luckily, Harry could reach them before they got kissed and had the energy to do the spell._

_As the creatures retreated, Harry panted for a moment before roaring, "What the hell! You don't know the damn spell? Snape, you want to be a DADA teacher and you don't know a simple Patronus spell? I know fifth years you can do it! You call yourself a teacher? Good Lord…"_

_He shoved his pocket in his wand and snorted, "You'd better learn it in case Voldemort owns a bunch of these buggers." Harry stumbled away and called out to no one particular, "By the way, your welcome!"_

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**Chapter 19: All Is Revealed**

The last DA meeting was great, Harry was proud of all his 'students' for their bravery and skills. He was coming back from the Room of Requirement and went down to the dungeons, where his Occlemency lessons awaited.

Down in Snape's classroom, Darcie sat waiting. She looked worse then what he last remembered and her smile looked strained, "Hello Harry. How are you doing today?" He shook her hand, "Pretty good. You?"

The Black daughter nodded glumly, "I've been better. I'm sorry for my reaction last time. Due to my own carelessness, I was so excited about the first lesson that I forgot to put my memories in the basin."

Harry was tempted to ask what they were but that would be crossing a line he didn't want to tread on.

They practiced some Blocking Spells and Harry had improved since then, after, they had some quiet meditation. He had noticed through the few hours he had with her that depression was hanging over her like puppet chords, making her move and say certain things.

"Darcie, are you ok?"

Her black hair hung in her face as she sighed, "No, I'm not feeling my best. My mood is shot." He looked at her dark form and was reminded of Sirius during his melancholy; Harry said out loud, "I'm sorry I didn't try to get to know you better. You could have told me a lot about my godfather." She didn't answer him but only tilted her head at the door, "I'll see you." She wanted him to leave her alone.

He got up dully and shut the door behind him, hearing her cry behind the door.

His heart twisted uncomfortably and Harry left the dungeons guilty.

He didn't want to remain shut inside the hollow halls of the castle so he wandered into the blustery cloudy afternoon day. Wind whipped harshly at the trees and the grass. Harry sauntered through the gardens, trying to keep his thoughts clear when he spotted a white blonde head sitting on a stone bench.

The son of Lucius Malfoy, scrunched up in a ball, green and silver scarf fluttering around his face. It was worse then Darcie's.

He was planning to just walk past but Harry stood by the bench, staring down on him. Draco didn't look at him, but continued staring at the bricks of the castle wall forlornly.

"Sorry to bother you."

Harry went a few feet before hearing a murmur, "You're lucky." He burrowed his brows as Draco Malfoy repeated louder, "You're lucky…you don't have parents."

His anger rose, "How so?"

Draco looked at the ground, "At least you don't have someone trying to force you to be someone he's not."

"You don't want to be a Deatheater?"

Gray eyes sparked with irate, "I didn't say that. I want to make my own decisions, like an adult would. But no, Father wants me to be a clone of him. He doesn't get it." Harry didn't know really what to tell him, he shoved his hands into his pockets, "Have a go at the world pushing you to do something, have a go being a hero. I want so bad to please everyone but I lose sight of who I am all the time."

Draco Malfoy looked up at him, uttering, "You_ are_ just like the rest of us, aren't you?"

Harry smirked, not really meaning to, "Finally, someone notices." The blonde almost did too but his empty expression came back, "This never happened, I'll deny everything." The raven haired boy said in agreement, "Read my mind, I don't think this day could get any weirder."

Draco stood up, getting very close to him, almost nose-to-nose before leaving with a chuckle.

Harry stared after him, blinking, "I stand corrected."

A rumble of faraway thunder brought him back to reality and he heard the sound of brooms flying in the Quiddich pitch. Dean, Seamus, and Ron were throwing Quaffles at each other as Hermione and Lavender sat in the stands; looking through a book. Harry went up to the girls, crouching down beside them, "What's going on?"

His best friend looked up to him with excited eyes, "Guess what Professor Binns talked about today?"

"It was something boring?"

Lavender giggled as Hermione shot her a Look, "No. Basilisks." He gaped, "You're joking. Why?" She took in a deep breath as to go into a long winded explanation when the three flying boys came down from the sky, red-cheeked with glee.

Seamus leaned over Lavender, "Weren't you watching Lavie?" She said sympathetically, "No, I'm sorry. I was distracted." He shook his head ignorantly, "Too bad you're a girl."

Hermione glanced at him, "Excuse me?" Seamus grinned arrogantly, "If you girls were more competitive, we'd be playing a rousing game. And if you could fly a broom." Her brown eyes darkened, "Oh, you think because we're girls, we can't play?" Harry shook his head, "Now you've done it Seamus." She grabbed his broom from his hands, bristling, "Come on Lavender, let's show these _boys_ whose boss."

The other Gryffindor gal took Ron's from his limp hands and they kicked off, leaving the males in a dust storm.

"Oh wow, Hermione can fly!" Harry laughed.

Ron and the rest of them were just gawking. The two girls ducked each other and were having a blast showing off, Harry applauded them as they touched down. Hermione smiled at him, "Bet you didn't know I could do that."

"You sure got me shocked."

The red head pulled off his cloak and draped it arbitrarily over Dean's head, "Hold this for a second mate."

He strolled right on over and pulled his girlfriend into a snog which she seemed to enjoy. Seamus hooted noisily and Harry ignored the annoying feeling in his stomach that wouldn't just go away.

He didn't know how long it was when the rain began falling, the sky was nighttime dark and there was no one with him. The Potter boy walked out from under the stands, gazing up at the sky, letting the rain soak into his clothes and drip onto his eyes. The water stinging them but he didn't care.

He stood in the pitch, probably looking like a mad man with his face towards the sky and arms outstretched slightly at his sides.

Harry would have moved away from the thunder and lightning crashing above him but the rain was just too cooling and his thoughts were in a blur. His world began swaying a little but he remained firmly planted in his place, something squashed in the mud; footsteps.

A hand gripped his shoulder and Harry flipped the person over, snatching the front of its robe. His sinister cloaked stalker.

He yelled over the thunder, "LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

A low voice whispered, "Never."

They began fighting, Harry punched the figure in the stomach and it retaliated with a quick swipe at his head. They pushed against each other, to try to throw each other off balance. Mud slopped onto their robes as legs kicked furiously. The person clutched at his necklace and Harry shoved it away, at the last moment his fingers hooked around a chain on its neck. The shorter form fell onto its bottom and in Harry's hand was the silver daisy necklace.

The moment of truth.

He used his weight to sit on the figure's waist, the person's legs underneath and his own pinning it down. Harry yanked off the hood and stared at his enemy. Hermione's plain brown eyes narrowed at him.

Thoroughly shaken, Harry backed a few steps as she stood up, mud slipping off the front of her robe, "H-Hermione…what the hell….?"

She gestured wildly, "Yes, it's me! You think you're so invincible Harry, you aren't! You left me no choice!"

Harry said in disbelief, "Who the hell are you? What have you done to Hermione?" She shrieked over the pounding rain and took off in the storm; Harry tried to follow her but got lost in the thunder. He angrily kicked the ground, gasping for his stolen breath, he was so drained.'What the fuck is going on?'

"_Harry_."

The Boy-Who-Lived saw a white light shining from behind him, turning around; he saw in the middle was Neville. The round faced boy squeaked, "Harry, you've got to save her!"

The raven haired boy shook his head dubious, "You're not here. I'm dreaming. All of this…a dream."

Neville said more urgently as the light grew brighter, Harry shield his eyes, "Only you can defeat Him. You have to unite with the instigator so the line of Fate can be fulfilled, it won't be an easy journey Harry, you have to listen to me!"

But Harry couldn't, he was spinning into obscurity…

_He was somewhere but couldn't place a finger on it. There were no shapes around him, no mist, no darkness, no gray shadows._

_Sitting on the ground, in a simple crossed-legged position, looking straight ahead. Steps appeared from nowhere and a figure came down from them, the setting became clearer._

_He was on warm grass, the sun over his head, and the sky above him a crisp blue. The figure was standing in front of a meadow full of purple and blue wildflowers. It was a woman; she had porcelain white skin covered by a gleaming dress, that cascaded over her body like liquid. She had no hair atop her head, the pale skin shone visibly._

_"Where am I?" he asked quietly._

_A babyish smile played over lips, "Where do you think you are?"_

_"Hallucinating, that's for certain."_

_Her laugh came out like a soft snort, making her green eyes scrunched up uncharacteristically. Harry watched her as she reached a gaunt hand out and placed her fingers on his breast, sliding them up and pulling his Mother's necklace up out of his shirt. The woman smiled again, "I see you have received it. Good ole Headmaster."_

_He asked cautiously, "What's it?" _

_She started walking into the meadow, her robe flowing behind her like water._

_Harry stood up, shouting, "Wait!" and followed her through the prickly flowers. When he touched the edge of her dress, his vision grew dark and the setting changed before his eyes._

_They were standing in the Department of Mysteries, Harry was sure of it. Yes, the archway was here with that damnable veil fluttering like a strained heartbeat. The cold stone steps leading out of the room. He sat on them as the woman danced, twirling in front of the veil a moment before becoming serious, facing him._

_Her bald head looked unnaturally small and deformed; he couldn't help but stare at the deformity._

_"It is a sad thing when Cancer claims a person," she said with subtlety._

_Harry was momentarily dazed by her rough deep voice, it flashed a twinge in his chest, something familiar. The woman ran a hand over her smooth head and spoke, "You are a unique creature, coming from many peculiar characteristics, destined for something very special."_

_He said without thinking, "I've heard this shit already, cut to the chase."_

_She wasn't put off, "You have a choice. Unlike others who have Fate predestined for them, there are two paths you may tread on and only you can choose yours."_

_"What do you mean two paths?"_

_The woman made an odd movement with her hand, eyes growing bigger, "The first is to stand down and let the Dark Lord rule, then he will be defeated by your hand once you are older. Once Voldemort's blood spills, you will no longer to the Boy-Who-Lived and this all will never have happen. You will be an ordinary man, with no magic in you. You will be happy, age gracefully, and die a Muggle death; most likely a brain aneurism."_

_Harry didn't speak._

_She came closer, stooped in front of him, "There is the second. Where you will continue to be magic bound forever and stay as your destiny is now. There isn't much happiness to this journey but Fate would have you take this passage to prevent much darkness that will rise later."_

_"When will I know when to choose?" he murmured._

_The woman began strolling back to the veil and peeked through the gape, grinning, "They're down there waiting for you Harry. Will you join the eternal decay? Or will there be light?"_

_He just stared at her as she stopped, and winked at him, "You will know what is right. After all, Time holds no restraints for you and I…and for the spirits."_

_She reached out to touched air,_ a flash of red_ appeared and Harry could have swore he saw someone there for a split second._

_"Life does suck, but we have to deal. Or else we'd be walking basket cases," Harry repeated aloud._

_The woman looked at him and declared smugly, "Now you're getting it! Glory, that's where we strive for." Everything was fading around him. She cried out, "Oh Harry, before you go; first came the wise that led us from the evil. Second was the gentle whom sheltered us. Third came to the brave who defended our honor. The last was the mirror of vice. Make sure you remember that when you're searching! Look for symbols in the center!"_

_Harry didn't answer back, he was laying in the warm grass again; losing consciousness._

_---_

**A/N:** What's going on everyone? I've got a song stuck in my head and sugar running through my veins. Damn, I'm tired. I hope all the readers enjoy the rest of the story cause I have another chapter to come!

**LMDGlUVR4EVA:** You know….I was tempted to make him take off more points but I decided that Harry was the better man by being fair…even though it was eating him up on the inside. You are a mind reader, I was thinking of doing two more chapters! That's so cool! lol. Yeah, I rush… Bad Val. -slapswrists- Oh, please tell me what I can improve, I'd love it if you would. I'd really appreciate it BL. ;) Thankyouthankyouthankyou for reviewing, I love to hear from you. Ron and Hermione seemed like the canon pairing…hmmhmm, you'll just have to see what I do. Won't you?


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